Museum of Wellington City & Sea teams up with Orchestra Wellington and Havana for Free Waterfront Concert

Museum of Wellington City & Sea celebrates the capital’s rich musical heritage next Thursday lunchtime with a free concert on the waterfront featuring a brass ensemble performance from Orchestra Wellington.

And in a nod to another Wellington staple, Havana Coffee will be selling cups of coffee to accompany the performance, with all proceeds donated to the development of the Museum’s Attic space. The concert – which begins at 12.30 - is the last of four Throwback Thursdayevents staged by the Museum Under The Sails on Queens Wharf. Each of the Throwback Thursday events have paid homage to some of stories that make our region unique.

While Orchestra Wellington has only been operating as an independent brand since 2013, the Wellington Regional Orchestra Foundation Inc. has been presenting concerts for more than 60 years, making it the oldest city-based orchestra in the country.

The Orchestra can trace its beginnings to 1948 and the founding of the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra. The Orchestra had a distinguished career until its demise in 1973. With support from the Arts Council, a new entity was formed, comprising many of the players from the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra.

Over the course of the last four decades the Orchestra has undergone a number of changes - not least the name by which it is known - but one constant has been the key role that it has played in the cultural life of Wellington and the wider region. Today, Orchestra Wellington plays an active role in the community that it serves, making classical music accessible to all.

Throwback Thursday is part of the Museum of Wellington City & Sea’s What Year Are You? fundraising campaign, which has been set up to raise money for the development of the Museum’s Attic space. The project has already secured funding from the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, Wellington City Council and the Lottery Grants Board but the Museum, named one of the Top 50 in the world by The Times of London, is now looking for support from the people of the Wellington region.

People can ‘buy’ one of the 150 years that Wellington has been capital city (from 1865) via a dedicated Trade Me presence. The names of everyone who buys a year will be displayed in The Attic when it opens later this year. The Attic exhibition will reveal some of the fascinating collection items which until now have been hidden away in the Museum’s Collection Store.

The opening of The Attic will increase the Museum’s floor space by nearly a third and is the first stage in a major, multi-year development project. Over the next five years, all four floors of the Museum’s historic Bond Store will be developed. By 2020, the Museum will boast more gallery space, community areas and improved access. A café on the ground floor will complete the improved visitor experience.

ENDS

© Scoop Media