Everyone is welcome to attend the Finals of the 2018 AYO Soloist Competition being held at Baradene College’s Auditorium, 7pm on Sunday 30 September. Our talented young musicians value the opportunity to perform a concerto in a formal yet supportive environment each year. The Competition Accompanist is Rosemary Barnes. We are enormously appreciative of...
Chairman’s Newsletter – August 2018
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO Sat. 8 Sep 7.30pm Papakura – Hawkins Theatre Sun. 9 Sep 2.30pm AUCKLAND TOWN HALL Cowdell Persephone Haydn Trumpet Concerto in E flat (Soloist: Jake Krishnamurti) Copland Appalachian Spring Sibelius Finlandia ...
Chairman’s Newsletter – April 2018
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. Looking back to the last concert… Listening to a complex musical composition such as a symphony or concerto for th e first time is like embarking on a journey into unknown territory. There will be constant surprises...
Chairman’s Newsletter – February 2018
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme GREIG Peer Gynt Suite No.1 NIELSEN Flute Concerto SCHUBERT Symphony No.8 (Unfinished) Soloist Anna Cooper Conductor Antun Poljanich Howick All Saints Church Saturday 3 March, 7.30pm (Donation) Manukau Vodafone Events Centre Sunday ...
Listen to John Wells being interviewed about his 2nd organ concerto on RNZ “Upbeat” programme, 11/10/17
Click here to listen...
Chairman’s Newsletter – September 2017
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme BEETHOVEN Egmont Overture JOHN WELLS Organ Concerto No. 2 (premiere) BERLIOZ Symphonie Fantastique Soloist – Rebecca Lee Conductor – Antun Poljanich Kerikeri Turner Centre ...
Tribute to Robert Issell…
Robert Issell (1938-2017) achieved great heights in the international orchestral world. Not only was he the Concertmaster of the Symphonia of Auckland (a forerunner of the current APO) in the 70s, but he was also a permanent 1st violinist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London for many years – a position eagerly sought...
Review of Thames Concert, 7 May 2017 – BillBarcBlog, by Bill Barclay
The Thames Music Group excelled itself today with a wonderful concert in St George’s by the 80 player Auckland Youth Orchestra – back here for the first time since 1998. The 100 or so who attended were entertained to a varied programme including the Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. This...
Review of Whitianga Concert, 6 May 2017 – The Mercury Bay Informer 10/5/17, by Suzanne Hansen
The Auckland Youth Orchestra once again delivering so much more than expected As one concertgoer said at the end of the Auckland Youth Orchestra (AYO) concert in the Whitianga Town Hall last Saturday evening, “I come every year, and these guys blow my mind every time! They always deliver so much more...
Chairman’s Newsletter – April 2017
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme: TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo & Juliet Overture ANTHONY RITCHIE Cartoon: Fantasy for Oboe & Orchestra STRAVINSKY Firebird Suite Soloist – Noah Rudd Conductor – Antun Poljanich Whitianga Town Hall – Sat. 6 May, 7pm (Tickets $5-$20) Thames St George’s Church – Sun. 7 May, 3pm (Tickets at...
Chairman’s Newsletter – February 2017
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme, conducted by Antun Poljanich: Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 10 Aria As when the dove from Acis and Galatea Aria Lascia chi’o pianga from Rinaldo Aria Tornami a vagheggiar from Alcina Duet ...
Chairman’s Newsletter – September 2016
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme: RAVEL Bolero CHEN Yi The Golden Flute TCHAIKOVSKY Music from ‘The Nutcracker’ Conductor Antun Poljanich Soloist Eva Ding,...
Chairman’s Newsletter – June 2016
It gives me great pleasure to invite you to attend the upcoming free concerts being presented by AYO. The Programme: PROKOFIEV Lieutenant Kijé IBERT Concertino da Camera for Alto Saxophone MUSSORGSKY / RAVEL Pictures at an Exhibition CONDUCTOR Antun Poljanich SOLOIST ...
Review of Whangarei Concert, 2 April 2016 – Seen and Heard International
Auckland Youth Orchestra Invites Audience to Pay What It Likes, then Plays a Blinder 17/04/2016 New Zealand Smetana, Spohr, Sibelius: Kenny Keppel (clarinet), Auckland Youth Orchestra, Antun Poljanich (conductor), Forum North, Whangarei, New Zealand. 2.4.2016. (PSe) Smetana– Vltava (from “Ma Vlast”) Spohr – Clarinet Concerto No. 1 Sibelius – Symphony No.2 in D How...
Review of Kerikeri Concert, 3 April 2016 – Turner Centre Facebook
Auckland Youth Orchestra – Sunday 3rd April 2016 Turner Centre·Tuesday, April 5, 2016 Half a century ago the late John Dalton would ensure that the Auckland Youth Orchestra visited Kerikeri every couple of years. How appropriate it is, then, that they should now perform in the Turner Centre’s wonderful auditorium, which is named after...
Review of Whangarei Concert, 2 April 2016 – Northern Advocate
Review: ‘Awesome’ orchestra deserved of donation By Paul Serotsky 4:00 PM Tuesday Apr 5, 2016 Kenny Keppel (clarinet). Review: Auckland Youth Orchestra, Capitaine Bougainville Theatre, Whangarei – April 2. There’s nothing new about Auckland Youth Orchestra’s free concert/voluntary donations scheme. A few years ago, sponsorship enabled them to introduce it at their Auckland concerts....
Chairman’s Newsletter – March 2016
We invite you and your friends to join us at the forthcoming free concerts. Looking back to October 2015 Concert… The final concert of the 2015 season came to an end with a magnificent performance of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony, a performance which Franco Viganoni, our recording engineer, thought was one of the best he had...
Chairman’s Newsletter – September 2015
Looking back to our May Concert…The day of our last concert was cold, wet, and blustery. I set off for the dress rehearsal feeling quite despondent, thinking: who will want to come out in weather like this to go to a concert? It is not as if anybody has actually had to buy tickets,...
Chairman’s Newsletter – April 2015
How do we design our programme content? Occasionally people ask me how we go about choosing programmes for the AYO. We have an Artistic Planning Committee made up of Antun Poljanich-Music Director, Cameron Stuart-Orchestra Manager, Anne Draffin-Artistic Facilitator, and myself as Chairman. We try to build a programme around a theme, or a major...
Chairman’s Newsletter – February 2015
Chairman’s Welcome to AYO 2015 Here we are at the start of another new year and an exciting new series of AYO concerts. Last year’s concerts continued to attract large numbers of people and in fact the demand for seats at the final concert of 2014 was so great that...