| On Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Symphony_Orchestra |
| Alternative Spellings | NZSO |
| Creation | 1946 |
| Participants |
Pietari Inkinen
- Conductor
from 2008
to 2015
Edo de Waart - Conductor from 2016 to 2019 Anderson Tyrer - Conductor from 1947 to 1950 Michael Bowles - Conductor from 1950 to 1953 Warwick Braithwaite - Conductor from 1953 to 1954 James Robertson - Conductor from 1954 to 1957 John Hopkins - Conductor from 1957 to 1963 Juan Matteucci - Conductor from 1964 to 1968 Franz-Paul Decker - Conductor from 1991 to 1996 James Judd - Conductor from 1999 to 2007 Hamish McKeich - Conductor from 2020 |
| City | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Country | New Zealand |
A national orchestra for New Zealand was first proposed with the founding of the Radio Broadcasting Company in 1925, and broadcasting studio orchestras operated in major cities from the late 1920s. A national orchestra was formed in 1939 for New Zealand's Centennial Exhibition in 1940.
The orchestra became permanent in 1946 in the aftermath of World War II as the "National Orchestra of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service"; the inaugural concert took place on 6 March 1947. It was managed as a department of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation, which later became Radio New Zealand, as the NZBC National Orchestra and later the NZBC Symphony Orchestra.
The orchestra was renamed the NZBC Symphony Orchestra in 1963. In 1988, the orchestra became fully independent of Radio New Zealand, and began operating as an independent Crown-owned company under its current name, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Even after the formal separation of the orchestra from Radio New Zealand, NZSO performances continue to be recorded, broadcast and archived by Radio New Zealand Concert.
Franz-Paul Decker was the last NZSO conductor to have the title of chief conductor, and had the title of Conductor Laureate until his death in May 2014. The first conductor to have the title of Music Director of the NZSO was James Judd, from 1999 to 2007. Judd is now the orchestra's Music Director Emeritus.
In May 2007, Pietari Inkinen was named the NZSO's second Music Director. Inkinen concluded his NZSO tenure in 2015 and subsequently took the title of honorary conductor. In June 2015, the NZSO announced the appointment of Edo de Waart as its next music director.
The NZSO has recorded several LPs and many CDs, several with internationally known soloists such as Alessandra Marc and Donald McIntyre.
In 2012, the NZSO collaborated with Booktrack and Salman Rushdie to create music for an enhanced edition of Rusdhie's short story In the South . The NZSO recorded part of Howard Shore's score for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, notably the "Mines of Moria" sequence, as well as an alternate version of the cue "The Breaking of the Fellowship". The NZSO also performed and recorded Howard Shore's score for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.
In April 2016 the orchestra recorded the 207 national anthems to be used at medal ceremonies at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Wikipedia