Over 250 musicians of all ages have joined the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO). Well, they did, for the APO’s
Virtual Play-In, released online today.
In April, the APO put a global call out to musicians to get the chance to play alongisde the APO – virtually. The
musicians had to record a video of themselves playing Radetsky March by Johann Strauss Sr. The music was specially arranged so everyone could join in.
Submissions came from Aotearoa, Mexico, USA, Canada, Spain, Japan, China, Australia, UK, Ireland and Denmark, with over
half of the participants aged under 20.
The Virtual Play-in is the first project the APO’s new Assistant Conductor-in-Residence Vincent Hardaker worked on. His
new role with the orchestra has been undertaken entirely from home. Not something he imagined when taking up the
position at the end of March.
“It’s been hugely interesting to be thrown into this circumstance for the APO but, at the same time, digital concerts
could become an integral part of the orchestra’s musical future. Ongoing travel restrictions mean that it may be some
time before guest artists from overseas can perform live with the orchestra, the digital world gives us other options.
In a way, then, it’s provided some great experience,” he says.
APO CEO Barbara Glaser says, “New figures released from Billboard and Nielsen Music, which examined how media
consumption shifted during the pandemic, showed not only that people turned to entertainment for escape during lockdown,
but the classical genre saw an increase in listeners. We’ve always known the connection and joy classical music can
bring, and that people often turn to classical music in times of stress, but we are delighted to see this reflected in
people’s lockdown activities and listening behaviour.”
The Virtual Play-in sits alongside a large body of online work the APO has delivered to audiences across the globe in
the last few months. For further information and links, please visit the APO website or Facebook page.UPCOMING APO ONLINE EVENTS8PM, THURSDAY 21 MAYAPO Encore Livestream: Turangalîla
Messiaen Turangalîla Symphony
Conductor Stefan Asbury
Presenter Graham Abbott
Piano Joanna McGregor
Ondes Martenot Cynthia Miller
From APO & Auckland Arts Festival in collaboration with the Australian National
Academy of Music (ANAM): Messiaen’s Turangalîla
Recorded 23 March 20198PM, THURSDAY 28 MAYAPO Encore Livestream: Unwrap Mendelssohn’s Italian
Presented by Metlifecare
Presenter/Conductor Peter Thomas
Recorded as an educational resource, 27 June 2018
Supported by The Douglas Goodfellow Charitable Trust
www.apo.co.nz/Encore-LivestreamsAPO COFFEE BREAK
Presented by Ivanov Consulting
Sit back, relax (with your beverage of choice) and listen to APO musicians playing a much-loved piece of music specially
for you – performed in their homes and streamed into yours.
New performances released at 10am every Tuesday morning. More info apo.co.nz/coffee-break