A week of pre-concert talks

On 3 May, Peter gave the pre-concert talk for the New Zealand String Quartet’s performance of Beethoven’s first two Razumovsky Quartets. The very next night he gave the first of four pre-concert talks for the NZSO’s concerts with Andrew Grams and Lynn Harrell (soloist in the Elgar Cello Concerto).

Peter comments, “It felt like old times to be on tour with the NZSO and to be able to hear such a superb interpretation of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 several times. I was delighted that doing these talks meant that I was in Auckland for my old friend, Vicki Jones’s last concert in the NZSO. She has made such an outstanding contribution over 33 years.”

Orchestral development in Samoa

Peter has just submitted a report for the Samoan Minister of Education, Sports and Culture on the development of an orchestra in Samoa. Peter spent the week 26-31 March there as the guest of the Samoan Government. He writes: “I was quite overwhelmed by the extraordinary natural talent and commitment to music of so many of those that I met. Even attending a church choir practice the night that I arrived was something of a revelation. The challenge now is to find ways of resourcing and empowering that talent.”