St Kilda Brass youth concert celebrates 125th

Award-winning Dunedin brass ensemble St Kilda Brass is tuning up for the first of three concerts in celebration of its 125th anniversary year.

The ‘‘Young Hearts’’ concert, which aims to showcase the energy and talent of young musicians, will be held next Sunday, June 14, from 2pm at Trinity College Auditorium.

Conducted by Reuben Brown, the concert will feature Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with young Dunedin pianist Ozan Biner-McGrath as soloist.

In a statement, a St Kilda Brass spokesperson said Brown had recently been New Zealand assistant conductor-in-residence with the Auckland Philharmonia, made his debut with the NZSO in 2023, and had been mentored by NZSO principal conductor emeritus James Judd.

The Young Hearts concert will be Brown’s third time conducting St Kilda Brass before he embarks on a master’s degree course in conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England.

A Year 13 student at Logan Park High School, Ozan won the Dunedin Concerto Competition in 2025 and has performed with various orchestras as a soloist, including as an emerging artist with the NZSO.

Next weekend’s concert will also feature seven young violinists from Ella George’s Suzuki string school, who will perform Peter Adams’ Cumulative Loops — the third movement of his Concerto Burlesca, a fusion of jazz, rock and classical styles.

Tickets are available online via www.stkildabrass.org.nz or at the door. — Allied Media