Southern Sinfonia, Dunedin (Orchestra)

Founded: Dunedin, New Zealand
Named: 1930's, as 4YA Studio Orchestra
Re-named: 1958, as Concert Orchestra
Re-named: 1966, as Dunedin Civic Orchestra
Re-named: 2000, as Southern Sinfonia

The Southern Sinfonia is Dunedin's only professional orchestra, and one of four regional orchestras in New Zealand's largest cities funded by Creative New Zealand. Annually, they present a five-concert subscription series, plus schools, chamber and Proms concerts, and education programmes including master-classes and workshops. They also regularly accompany productions by resident and touring opera, ballet, musical and choral companies.

The Southern Sinfonia has established a reputation for the high caliber of their performances, and for the conductors and soloists they attract both from overseas and from New Zealand. Recent artists have included Shlomo Mintz, Julian Lloyd Webber, Nikolai Demidenko, Raphael Wallfisch, Dame Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Nigel Kennedy, Sir Donald McIntyre, Dame Malvina Major, Michael Houstoun, Nicholas Braithwaite, Helen Medlyn, Jonathan Lemalu, Werner Andreas Albert, Deborah Wai Kapohe and Anna Leese.

The Southern Sinfonia is acknowledged as this country's most innovative orchestra. Highlights have included three collaborations with NHNZ, which have resulted in production of the commercially available videos "Southern Journeys" (a millennium commission), "Sinfonia Antartica" and "Timeless Land", and their collaboration with Otago Heritage Books, which resulted in the commercially released CD for "From the Southern Marches". The Southern Sinfonia collaborated again with NHNZ in the 2007 Dunedin Heritage Concert with its Southern Pride concert which included music and film from the television series "Equator".

History

Orchestras have been playing in Dunedin for over 100 years. In the 1930's, there was the 4YA Studio Orchestra, which played live broadcasts for half-an-hour each week. In 1958, a new group called the Concert Orchestra was formed with the specific intention of accompanying the Dunedin Opera Company. Soon after this, the Dunedin Choral Society called on the Orchestra's services, and eventually the orchestra started presenting its own concerts as well. In late 1965, the Dunedin Civic Orchestra Inc., the orchestra's current legal body, was formed. Grants were secured from the Dunedin City Council, the University, QEII Arts Council of New Zealand, and the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation. The inaugural concert of the Dunedin Civic Orchestra Inc. was held in the Dunedin Town Hall on February 19, 1966. It was a grand occasion, with the Governor-General attending. The 41 years since then have been predominantly happy ones for the orchestra. Earlier in this period we changed our name to the Dunedin Sinfonia, and more recently in 2000, to Southern Sinfonia. They are focused on increasing our profile and support, and presenting programmes that are varied and feature a wide range of local and overseas artists. The Sinfonia enjoys support from players and audience alike, not just from Dunedin, but also from all over New Zealand. The Southern Sinfonia is very much part of Otago and Southland's cultural heritage.

Source: Dunedin Music Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2019)

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Links to other Sites

Southern Sinfonia (Dunedin Music)
Southern Sinfonia on Facebook