Takapuna Concert Offers After-Work Sanctuary

St George’s Church in Takapuna plays host to some of New Zealand’s leading musicians on 28 April, when members of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra perform the first of this year’s Sanctuary Series concerts.

The three Sanctuary Series concerts, which include a glass of wine in the ticket price for those 18 or older, all take place at 6.30pm and are billed as an ‘after-work haven in your neighbourhood’. They offer a rare chance to see world class artists in an intimate setting.

The St George’s performance features woodwind and brass players in a range of works representative of the wind repertoire, including Ibert’s lively Trois Pieces Breve and, appropriately given the church venue, Nielsen’s carol-like Quintet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn and Bassoon.

The concert is something of a homecoming for APO Principal Flute Catherine Bowie. One of New Zealand’s most celebrated musicians, Catherine’s profession has taken her around the world and she lived for many years in France. However, she was born and raised in Takapuna, and still considers herself a Shore girl.

That dedication to her home town has found its way into the music, which includes Composition 2 by John Rimmer.

“For this concert I really wanted to play a piece of music that had local significance,” Catherine says. “John lived in this part of Auckland for many years; I played my first John Rimmer piece when I was about seven because I had recorder lessons with his wife Helen.”

The idea to perform in St George’s Church was Catherine’s too – the venue is just around the corner from her parents’ house.

“There’s something special about performing in churches,” she says. “At St George’s we’ll be sitting very close to the audience; it’s not like we’re on a raised stage in the distance. And in churches there’s an aura of reverence that relates to them being places of worship. That almost hushed quality has nothing to do with acoustics, it’s a feeling you get, a sense that something special is unfolding.

“Hopefully, with the programme we’ve put together, the audience will get that feeling too.”

Who: Catherine Bowie and other members of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra woodwind and brass sections

What: Sanctuary Series concert featuring works by Ibert, Nielsen, Rimmer and Hindemith

Where: St George’s Church, 2 The Terrace, Takapuna

When: Thursday 28 April, 6.30pm

Bookings: $30 Adult/senior; $20 Children/student (with ID), phone 623 1052 or visit www.apo.co.nz

ENDS

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