Six southern secondary school pupils have been selected to perform in next year's New Zealand Secondary Schools' Symphony Orchestra, to be directed by Dunedin conductor Peter Adams.
Kavanagh College sibling violinists Sophelia and Sebastian Hook, Logan Park High School violinist Rikke Kikkawa-McLeod, and James Hargest College clarinettist William Swan, trombonist Jack McKenzie and percussionist Finn Bodkin will join more than 100 other New Zealand secondary school musicians in two concert performances in Christchurch next year.
The musicians were selected by audition.
The event is an opportunity for top secondary school orchestral musicians to represent their school and learn what it is like to play in a full symphony orchestra.
Course organiser Nicky Fogden-Smith said the six-day course, to be held in April, would give pupils an opportunity to participate in a variety of practical sessions, culminating in two public performances.
She said the standard was high, which allowed the orchestra to perform full-scale works.
In 2016, the orchestra would give the world premiere of a new work by University of Otago composition student Isaac Shatford, as well as performances of The Planets (by Gustav Holst), Horn Concerto (Richard Strauss) and Danzon Cubana (Arturo Marquez), she said.
''It is widely regarded as a significant training ground for young players aspiring to membership of the New Zealand Youth Orchestra, and ultimately, to a career as a professional musician.
''Apart from the musical benefits of the course, the social aspect is also significant.
''The contacts and friendships made here are often lasting and really important for the aspiring musician's journey ahead,'' Ms Fogden-Smith said.
