Abstract
The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, with Tessa Petersen (concertmaster, first violin) and Helen du Plessis (principal cello) celebrated Matariki 2022 with a very special Town Hall concert. The concert opened with Aotearoa New Zealand compositions including Ko te tātai whetū (the world's first taonga pūoro concerto), and the world première of New Mountain by Dunedinite Maddy Parkins-Craig, followed by Holst's The Planets. Conductor Marc Taddei marshalled the large forces for this concert, which featured two soloists new to the DSO: Ariana Tikao whose waiata/songs explore her Kāi Tahu identity, and Alistair Fraser, a respected player, composer, and researcher of ngā taonga pūoro (the art of Māori musical instruments). Soprano Rebecca Ryan and the women from the City Choir Dunedin completed the lineup.