New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Will Be First Full-Sized Orchestra in the World to Perform For a Live Audience

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will be the first full-sized orchestra to perform for a live audience since the health crisis began.

The orchestra will present a concert, titled Ngū Kīoro... Harikoa Ake - celebrating togetherness, on June 26. The audience at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre will be over 2,000 people, and they are not required to wear masks or maintain social distancing.

Ngū Kīoro... Harikoa Ake celebrates the enormous effort New Zealanders made to protect the vulnerable and eliminate COVID-19.

Internationally renowned tenor Simon O'Neill and rising star soprano Eliza Boom join the Orchestra for an evening of classics from Bizet's Carmen, Puccini's La Bohème and Verdi's Otello.

A celebration of New Zealand wouldn't be complete without our own music. Gareth Farr's From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gong sand John Psathas'ecstatic Tarantismo feature, while vocalist Maisey Rika and Taonga Pūoro specialist Horomona Horo perform music from the NZSO's successful 2019 An Instrumental Voyage Pae Tawhiti, Pae Tata concert.

The full power of the Orchestra will be on show for Richard Strauss' inspirational Suite from Der Rosenkavalier before all our guest soloists and singers from Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir join the Orchestra for a special finale, the beloved waiata Pōkarekare Ana.

All tickets to the free concert are sold out, but all of New Zealand can enjoy Ngū Kīoro... Harikoa Ake via a livestream at live.nzso.co.nz.