Sensational Violinist Amalia Hall Makes Her NZSO Debut In May

Virtuoso violinist Amalia Hall joins with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for a night of soul-stirring musical drama in Wellington and Auckland in May.

Hall makes her NZSO debut, with the Orchestra led by internationally renowned NZSO Music Director Emeritus James Judd, to perform John Corigliano’s Oscar-winning Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra from The Red Violin, a film about a magnificent but cursed violin.

“I’m so excited to be performing with the NZSO as a soloist, because growing up in New Zealand I attended many NZSO concerts and always looked up to the NZSO and its players with so much respect,” says Hall.

“It will be a very fulfilling experience to work with NZSO because of their stellar quality of music-making. I’m also thrilled to be collaborating with James Judd, who I’ve seen conduct the NZSO many times since I was young.”

Hall loves the film The Red Violin but says viewing the film isn’t necessary to enjoy Chaconne for Violin and Orchestra from Corigliano’s remarkable score performed live.

“The music he wrote for the film is so dramatic, intriguing and captivating. It really draws the listener in. It’s an amazing work in its own right.”

Along with The Red Violin, the NZSO’s Passione in Association with New Zealand Listener concerts feature two masterpieces, each based on classic stories. In Richard Strauss’ tone poem Don Juan, audiences will be enthralled by the work’s vigorous romanticism and confidence as the music conveys Don Juan’s growing resignation at never finding his ideal love.

The concert concludes with a selection of suites from one of the greatest ballet scores of all time, Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The selection features the grand and ominous Dance of the Knights, which has been sampled by pop stars Robbie Williams and Sia.

During his eight years as Music Director in New Zealand, Maestro Judd garnered acclaim for his recordings with the Orchestra, including works by Copland, Bernstein, Vaughan Williams, Gershwin and many others. As well as Passione, in 2022 he will conduct the NZSO’s Celebration and Pick-a-Path concerts.

Since making her solo debut with the Auckland Philharmonia at the age of nine, Hall has been a regular soloist with orchestras in Aotearoa New Zealand and a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician in Europe, the UK, North and South America, Asia, South Africa, and Australia.

International classical music magazine The Strad praised her “blazing insight and dazzling virtuosity” and the New Zealand Herald hailed her as “one of the finest violinists this country has produced”.

As well as a frequent soloist, Hall is a violinist with NZTrio and Concertmaster of Orchestra Wellington.

Her international career began after winning the 1st prize at five international competitions, as well as numerous laureate prizes at other competitions including the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition, the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, and Premio R. Lipizer International Violin Competition.

As a teenager she won all the major national awards in Aotearoa New Zealand including the Gisborne International Music Competition at the age of 16, the National Concerto Competition, and the PACANZ National Young Performer of the Year.

All NZSO concerts, including entry conditions, strictly follow Ministry of Health guidelines for live events as understood by each venue. If the guidelines change, the NZSO will update information about the concert and contact ticket holders.

Tickets to all NZSO performances can be booked with the assurance that, should any concert be cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions, ticket holders are eligible for a full refund – including booking fees. Ticket holders experiencing Covid-19 symptoms on the day of a concert can exchange their ticket for another NZSO performance.

More information is available on the NZSO website. nzso.co.nz/the-nzso-experience/faqs/

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