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Giordano Bellincampi and Auckland Philharmonia, 2024 Opera in Concert production of Wagner\u2019s Tristan und Isolde in the Auckland Town Hall. Photography by Sav Schulman.<\/p>\nJohn Daly-Peoples<\/p>\n
Giordano Bellincampi and Auckland Philharmonia, 2024 Opera in Concert production of Wagner\u2019s Tristan und Isolde in the Auckland Town Hall. Photography by Sav Schulman.<\/p>\n
Auckland Philharmonia 2027 Season<\/p>\n
John Daly-Peoples<\/p>\n
The Auckland Philharmonia has announced its 2027 Season along with the announcement that it will be Giordano Bellincampi\u2019s 12th and final year as its Music Director.<\/p>\n
Diana Weir, Auckland Philharmonia\u2019s Chief Executive says of the season \u201cThere are so many highlights to look forward to in this upcoming season; from Mahler\u2019s serene Symphony No.4 and Stravinsky\u2019s exhilarating The Rite of Spring to a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle, and two Opera in Concert performances of Puccini\u2019s sublime Tosca. It\u2019s also very exciting to be the exclusive New Zealand orchestra presenting Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert in 2027, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original 1977 movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Major international artists making their New Zealand debuts in 2027 include virtuoso pianist Nikolai Lugansky, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras and conductors Anna Su\u0142kowska-Migo\u0144 and Katharina Wincor. They are joined by pianist Paul Lewis and violinist Simone Lamsma, who make their Auckland Philharmonia debuts. Long-time friends of the Auckland Phil \u2014 violinist James Ehnes and pianists Alexander Gavrylyuk and Javier Perianes \u2014 make welcome returns in 2027, along with conductors Elena Schwarz, Samy Rachid and Pierre Bleuse, and violinist Chloe Chua.<\/p>\n
Spectacular special events add extra star-power to this season, headlined by a 50th anniversary New Zealand exclusive screening of the multi-generational cinematic classic Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert, with John Williams\u2019 original score performed live by the Auckland Phil. A blockbuster evening of Joe Hisaishi\u2019s film scores hosted by popular podcasters Art of the Score, and K\u0101piti Ice Cream presents M\u0101nawatia a Matariki, an unmissable evening of waiata reo M\u0101ori and musical collaboration to celebrate the M\u0101ori new year, also join this sparkling line-up.<\/p>\n
The 2027 season will culminate with a magnificent two-week BrahmsFest conducted by Bellincampi, one of the world\u2019s leading Brahms interpreters.<\/p>\n
Giordano Bellincampi says, \u201cIt has been a pleasure to be Auckland Philharmonia\u2019s Music Director and throughout my final season in this role I\u2019m delighted to share with you some marvellous music from many of my favourite composers. Opening with Beethoven\u2019s \u2018Eroica\u2019 Symphony, followed by Nielsen\u2019s mighty Fourth Symphony, through to the BrahmsFest in November, featuring all four Brahms symphonies, both piano concerti and his Violin Concerto, with Alexander Gavrylyuk and James Ehnes joining us as soloists.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will share with you many more wonderful masterpieces along our way, including a programme of Mahler\u2019s Fourth Symphony paired with magnificent works by Schubert that feature exciting Kiwi-Danish soprano Louise McClelland Jacobsen, Mendelssohn\u2019s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage and sublime fourth symphonies from both Schumann and Bruckner.<\/p>\n
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Nikolai Lugansky, photo by Marco Borggreve. <\/p>\n
\u201cA pinnacle of the programme will be Nikolai Lugansky playing Rach 2, along with a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle featuring renowned pianist Javier Perianes as soloist and director. It\u2019s also wonderful to have Australian pianist Andrea Lam returning to perform the Auckland premiere of R. Strauss\u2019 spirited Burleske and violinist Inmo Yang playing Bruch.<\/p>\n
\u201cA special highlight for me will be a concert in August featuring our brilliant Principal Flute, Melanie Lan\u00e7on, performing Nielsen\u2019s Flute Concerto, alongside two magnificent works \u2014 Mozart\u2019s Symphony No.32 and Schubert\u2019s Ninth Symphony \u2018The Great\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 12 concerts in the NZ Herald Premier Series The New Zealand Herald Premier Series will feature composers including Brahms, Nielsen, Schubert, Mozart, Schumann, Strauss, Bruckner, Ives, Mendelssohn and Mahler.<\/p>\n
New Zealand talent will include the premiere of Salina Fisher\u2019s new violin concerto written for Geneva Lewis, who features as soloist in this performance, this piece is a co-commission by Auckland Philharmonia, the Bortletti-Buitoni Trust and BBC Radio 3. In 2027, the orchestra also performs Auckland premieres of works from fellow New Zealand composers Lilburn and Gao Ping.<\/p>\n
The concerts will feature \u00a0some of the world\u2019s most important artists such Nikolai Lugansky who has been hailed as \u2018the most trailblazing and meteoric performer of all\u2019 he will perform Rachmaninov\u2019s Piano Concerto No.2.<\/p>\n
The British pianist Paul Lewis, makes his Auckland Philharmonia debut in 2027 playing Mozart\u2019s Piano Concerto No.23. Two exciting rising conductors will make their debuts -Anna Su\u0142kowska-Migo\u0144, the 2022 winner of La Maestra conducting competition, and Hungarian conductor G\u00e1bor K\u00e1li who will lead the orchestra with a programme of works by Enescu, Glazunov, Beethoven and Kod\u00e1ly.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/apo-lamsca-6fe52899-0b0c-480f-a0ca-17aaf288f5ed.jpeg\")
Simone Lamsma, photo by Otto van den Toorn.<\/p>\n
Outstanding artists returning in 2027 include conductors Pierre Bleuse, Elena Schwarz and Samy Rachid, pianists Alexander Gavrylyuk, Andrea Lam and Kiwi Sylvia Jiang, violinist Chloe Chua, and Auckland Phil\u2019s own Principal Flute, Melanie Lan\u00e7on, who steps forward as soloist.<\/p>\n
The 2027 Classic Series features six concerts of best-loved masterpieces, including a special all-Beethoven double bill to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death. The superb Spanish pianist Javier Perianes returns to the Auckland Philharmonia to play Beethoven\u2019s five piano concertos as this great composer intended, directing from the keyboard.<\/p>\n
Mahler\u2019s Fourth Symphony is a splendid opener for the series in February, one of this great composer\u2019s most popular works, led by master interpreter Giordano Bellincampi. This is paired with some wonderful Lieder by Schubert featuring Kiwi soprano Louise McClelland Jacobsen, who makes her Australasian debut in the dreamy Night and Dreams (Nacht und Tr\u00e4ume) and the Auckland premiere of The Trout (Die Forelle).<\/p>\n
In 2027, rising violin player Inmo Yang returns to play Bruch\u2019s delightful Violin Concerto No.1, led by Giordano Bellincampi, alongside Schumann\u2019s Fourth Symphony. \u00a0Another highlight includes sensational cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras\u2019 New Zealand debut in Prokofiev\u2019s Sinfonia concertante, conducted by Katharina Wincor, who also makes her Aotearoa debut.<\/p>\n
Lovers of Baroque music will appreciate the new Simply Baroque, two concerts held in June and September in the chamber music setting of Grafton\u2019s K\u0101hui St David\u2019s will feature works by \u00a0Bach and Vivaldi, with Auckland Philharmonia.<\/p>\n
Auckland Philharmonia\u2019s annual Opera in Concert will be a semi-staged production of Puccini\u2019s opera Tosca, with a two-concert run to meet high demand, will be no exception. With such a captivating story of love, lust, murder and political intrigue, accompanied by some of the most exciting and dramatic music . It will see Serena Farnocchia as the diva Floria Tosca, tenor Antonello Palombi as Cavaradossi, baritone Lucio Gallo in the role of Scarpia, along with New Zealand bass-baritone Edward Smith, singing the role of Angelotti.<\/p>\n
Released in 1977, George Lucas\u2019 movie Star Wars: A New Hope first introduced us to Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. Celebrating the film\u2019s 50th anniversary in 2027, the Auckland Philharmonia \u00a0brings this cinematic titan to the big screen performing John Williams\u2019 Oscar-winning score.<\/p>\n
Following their sold-out Aotearoa debut with Auckland Phil in 2025, charming Art of the Score podcasters Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding return to present The Music of Joe Hisaishi, a musical love letter to Japan\u2019s great Maestro. From Studio Ghibli classics Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro to over 100 works for the screen and concert hall, Joe Hisaishi is one of the world\u2019s most prolific and beloved contemporary composers.<\/p>\n
Auckland Phil\u2019s annual Matariki concert returns with K\u0101piti Ice Cream presents M\u0101nawatia a Matariki, inviting wh\u0101nau and friends to celebrate the M\u0101ori new year with this night of uplifting music. This evening of exciting musical collaboration features a very special line up of guest artists joining forces with the Auckland Philharmonia to perform the best of waiata reo M\u0101ori.<\/p>\n
The orchestra wraps the season with its annual Christmas Cheer featuring special guest vocalists and The Graduate Choir New Zealand.<\/p>\n
In April, popular children\u2019s concert series Tunes 4 Tamariki dives into Te Ao Moana, exploring the ocean world through music. In this lively interactive concert, talented singing duo Loopy Tunes Preschool Music, winners of NZ on Air Best Primary Song at the 2026 Aotearoa Children\u2019s Music Awards, join the orchestra to perform music, songs and stories connected to the sea.<\/p>\n
Then in December, charismatic entertainer Kevin Keys presents Tunes 4 Tamariki: Kevin\u2019s Kirihimete, a concert for little ones and their wh\u0101nau that\u2019s filled with singing, dancing and holiday joy.<\/p>\n
In 2027, the Community Classics series celebrates some of the best-known love stories. At each of the three performances of this family-friendly concert, the orchestra and special guests will play musical excerpts from beloved classics, including Tchaikovsky\u2019s Sleeping Beauty and traditional M\u0101ori love song \u2018P\u014dkarekare Ana\u2019.<\/p>\n
In March, the popular In Your Neighbourhood series returns with a concert featuring Interim Concertmaster Max Tan and his fellow string section colleagues playing works by Strauss, Mozart and Martin\u016f. Then in October, Principal Horn Gabrielle Pho leads a programme that showcases the lyrical qualities of the French horn, alongside the richness of strings. The series concludes with a fanfare to the holiday season, Principal Trumpet Huw Dann leading his brass section colleagues in a concert filled with treasured, classic festive favourites.<\/p>\n
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