About 90-100 people attended the concert; the rather odd hour prompted the organisers to sell drinks, sandwiches, muffins and chocolate bars before the concert and during the interval – an excellent idea. While the printed programme gave plenty of information about the young performers (Ben is just 20),the works played were simply listed, with no programme notes, and not even the tempi markings of the movements.  Ben Baker gave spoken... read more

(Review also by Julia Wells) Australian conductor Richard Gill runs a series of educational-cum-entertainment programmes with the Sydney Symphony, called "Discovery", making classical music more approachable for people who perhaps haven't had musical backgrounds or previous exposure to what's commonly called  "classical" music. He recently brought this idea to Wellington, working with the NZSO over two evenings and concentrating on two of the most popular symphonies in the whole of... read more