NZSO to stream epic symphony live online

14 June 2011 - NZSO Media Release for immediate release

NZSO to stream epic symphony live online

Every home will be a concert hall when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's performance of Mahler's epic Sixth Symphony is streamed live online this Saturday.

The webcast will combine live footage of the 80-minute Auckland Town Hall concert from six strategically-positioned cameras, with a broadcast-quality audio feed from Radio New Zealand Concert.

The stream will be available via a link on the NZSO and Radio NZ Concert websites, sharing the drama of a live NZSO concert experience in what will become an online concert series.

NZSO Chief Executive Peter Walls says that the live digital concert experience is taking off internationally, with examples like the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall.

"By using webcasts in this way, the NZSO can reach out to people who just can't make it to the concert hall on the night. We've chosen Mahler 6 as the first concert in this digital series because it allows the world to see Pietari Inkinen at work on a symphonic masterpiece with our world-class national orchestra."

After the webcast, the Mahler 6 concert will then be freely available on demand for a limited time on the NZSO website. Ultimately it will be screened on the Sky Arts Channel and available via the Naxos Video Library.

Peter Walls says: "The possibilities are simply endless with digital technology. We can offer NZSO performances to music lovers overseas, and we can use the digital broadcasts as an online learning tool for schools and music students.

"Sharing the pleasure of live orchestral music with as many people as we can is central to our mission at the NZSO. We're thrilled about this new step forward."

The NZSO first streamed a live online concert in 2007 to mark its 60th anniversary. It will roll out other digital concert experiences later in the year.

Visit www.nzso.co.nz or www.radionz.co.nz/concert and click the link to experience the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra performing Mahler's Sixth Symphony, live at the Auckland Town Hall at 8pm on Saturday 18 June.

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