News - 31 Jul 2023

Newsletter August/September 2023 - Message From Philippa Harris, General Manager

Time to banish the winter blues and enjoy some heart-warming music at DSO’s concerts! And we have some real treats lined up. In the spotlight will be three talented Dunedin-based musicians: DSO’s Principal Trumpet player Ralph Miller as soloist, acclaimed conductor Kenneth Young, and internationally respected composer Anthony Ritchie.

Ralph Miller is a very versatile trumpeter. Not only does he lead the DSO’s trumpet section, but he also plays jazz, blues, reggae, musical theatre shows, and at the Anzac dawn services. In our 19th and 20th August performances, he’ll be soloist in Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto.

Melody will be to the fore in the other works in our August programme: Dvořák’s Serenade, Mozart’s Divertimento, and Mendelssohn’s romantic Scottish symphony.

Marshalling the musicians in this engaging programme will be Kenneth Young, one of New Zealand’s most experienced conductors.

Dvořák is also prominent in our 23rd September concert when we’ll be performing his ever-popular Symphony No. 9, From the New World.

Balancing this traditional favourite will be an eagerly awaited new symphony from Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie. DSO is thrilled to be presenting the symphony’s première performance.

At the helm of our September concert is London-based conductor Simon Over. He was last here in 2019 for a pre-pandemic performance of Anthony Ritchie’s From the Southern Marches. Who would have thought then that it would be four years before he’d be able to return, and that it would be to conduct another major Anthony Ritchie work!

We look forward to seeing you at the concerts!