Camaraderie key at camp

Concert master Anna Loeser is all concentration during the Waitaki Summer Music Camp’s annual...
Concert master Anna Loeser is all concentration during the Waitaki Summer Music Camp’s annual concert at Waitaki Boys’ High School on Saturday night. PHOTO: NIC DUFF
A shared love of music brought more than 70 musicians from across New Zealand to Oamaru last week.

The Waitaki Summer Music Camp returned for its 28th year.

Musicians spent the week at Waitaki Boys’ High School learning from various tutors before a full orchestral performance at the school’s auditorium on Saturday night.

Almost 100 people came to watch their renditions of pieces such as Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture and Wagner’s Overture to The Meistersingers.

For many of the attendees, the camp is an annual experience that they keep coming back to.

However, for Jenny Petegem Thach, 2025 was her first time attending.

The 16-year-old high school student from Dunedin said she loved the camaraderie of the camp.

"All the people are really friendly and it’s good to meet other people that are interested in the same thing as you and get together and have something in common."

She plays the violin and was eager to learn as much as she could from the tutors and other musicians.

"They have a lot of experience and it’s good to be able to learn from them."

Teresa Cuthbert, of Napier, was another newcomer this year.

After attending a similar camp in Lower Hutt last year, she was inspired to seek out other opportunities.

"I never knew [music camps] existed before. I loved that one so I thought I’d enjoy this one too."

Ms Cuthbert started to play the clarinet as a 10-year-old but stopped when she was 18, only to rediscover her love for it 25 years later.

She was already planning to return in 2026.