Three young Dunedinites are set to grace the stage of Ōtepoti’s Town Hall on May 16th, alongside the local legends that are the Dunedin Youth Orchestra. Aptly taking place during New Zealand’s music month, the night will feature two parts – a programme from the Youth Orchestra, followed by the performances of three finalists from the Dunedin Concerto Competition, accompanied by both the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and Youth Orchestra.
For those not subjected to music lessons growing up, a concerto is a piece of music performed by a solo instrument (like a violin or piano) which is accompanied by an orchestra. For this gig, Portia Bell, Roy Zhang, and Ozan Biner-McGrath are this year’s Rising Stars finalists.
Portia is a first-year cello performance student at the Uni, who will be performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor. Captivating. “It's very rare to have the opportunity at this age to play with an orchestra, especially a symphony orchestra and in a venue like the town hall as well,” Portia told Critic. She was excited for this opportunity and was particularly thrilled to be working with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra’s conductor, James Judd.
Roy is a second-year Genetics major, playing the piano for the competition. The concerto he is performing will be Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. Roy said that he was looking forward to the finals, and that he wasn’t “really nervous just yet”. Knock on wood. “I'm really looking forward to playing with a proper orchestra in the town hall.”
Another pianist, Ozan, is a Year 12 student at nearby Logan Park High School (turns out actual students go there and it’s not just an obstacle on the way to Lakehouse on St Paddy’s). He will be playing the allegro movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor. “[Finals are] quite a rare experience,” Orzan explained, speaking to his nerves about the upcoming performance. The whole thing will be “in front of a lot of people” and in a “big, big, big hall” and “big orchestra” as well as an “amazing conductor”. “It’s all a lot of pressure, right?” Gulp.
This comes after years and years of hard work, with all three finalists beginning to learn music before the age of six. Just imagine how much easier our degrees would be if we started studying that early as well. Despite the sheer talent, getting to finals required jumping through some serious hoops. Preliminary and semi-final rounds are required to get to this point, with twenty-five students participating in the preliminary round, before being cut down to six in the semi-finals. That’s selection criteria so tough it could make a Health-Sci student faint.
It’s all for a good cause, though, with $20k in prize money available, causing Critic to think we should pick up an instrument and get to work. Money like that can make a huge difference to the lives of young musicians, where instruments, lessons, and travel for education or competitions can make music an awfully expensive activity (and the post concerto celebrations).
Whether you understand the names of the concertos or not, a night of good tunes is almost guaranteed. This concert continues a bumper year for the DYO, who are fresh off the heels of the sold-out concert with arguably the biggest band on campus, IVY, whose concert inspired the following review from Radio One: “I have heard the gospel and its name is IVY.”
The Rising Stars Finalist’s Concert will take place on Friday May 16th at 7:00pm, at the Dunedin Town Hall. Tickets are available to buy online, with student tickets only being $15. This is an ample opportunity for a cheap evening out with music far better than any of your mates could make on their decks.