Christmas Harmonies

We can all agree that 2022 has been a difficult year for many of our Hawke's Bay families. However, Christmas time gives us a beautiful moment to reflect and celebrate our many blessings. Our children are perhaps our greatest blessings: their creativity, joy, resilience and enthusiasm for life is a daily celebration. At the Hawkes’ Bay Youth Orchestras, we are constantly amazed by the talent and dedication of our young people. It is humbling to see the way they make music together, striving to create something that is beautiful and greater than the individual parts.

On December 10th at 4:00pm the Hawkes Bay Youth Orchestras (seniors and training orchestra) will be presenting a musical celebration of hope, joy and family. The theme of the concert has been aptly named ‘Christmas Harmonies’, a play on the dual meaning of both musical consonance and the rapport or friendships we find when we interact with others with kindness and understanding.

It will be a really special concert that is tailored for an audience of all ages. The story of Christmas will be told both through words and music, with symphonic favourites from the popular film Polar Express, mixed with contemporary toe-tapping numbers and some audience carol singing. The beautiful venue of St Matthews Church, Hastings is a perfect place to experience the tradition and joy of Christmas music, whether you are an experienced caroller or simply want to check out a live orchestra performance. The Hawkes’ Bay Youth Orchestras will be joined by their mentors in the Hawkes Bay Community Orchestra.

The Hawkes’ Bay Orchestral Society (which consists of the Youth Orchestras and the Community Orchestra) is NZ’s oldest orchestral society and caters to musicians of all ages. Through the program of weekly rehearsals, young musicians who have only been playing for a few months can develop their reading and ensemble skills, meet like minded youngsters from the Bay and have some fun under the tutelage of Mary McHattie in the Training Orchestra. Once these musicians have progressed and want to tackle some more challenging repertoire, they move to the Youth Orchestra under that baton of Kimbali Harding. Some of the most talented musicians are part of this orchestra including NCEA scholarship and Hawkes Bay Young Musician of the year recipients, but what links them with a common thread is their love of music and sense of tuakana-tenia and community. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the Community Orchestra, where lifelong learners and lovers of music can rehearse and enjoy making music together under the direction of Charlotte Van Asch.

If you have a budding young musician in your family, then the Christmas Harmonies concert is a great way to see what it is all about and meet the amazing group of people from the Hawkes Bay Orchestral Society that make it all happen. Let the sounds of Christmas ring on!

Limited seats. Pre-purchase available. Email info@hbos.nz to secure tickets today!