Contrasting worlds come together

Dunedin Symphony Orchestra principal second violin Ngaruaroha Martin is an expert at juggling contrasting worlds — the world of music and the world of construction.

And now she is juggling caring for her 10-month-old son, Hono-Dean Smiler, with plenty of violin practice in the lead-up to Friday’s extraordinary Mahler’s Resurrection concert at Dunedin Town Hall.

For the first time in more than 50 years, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra will join forces in concert, as they perform Mahler’s Symphony No 2 "Resurrection" along with up to 150 singers led by City Choir Dunedin and soloists Anna Leese (soprano) and Deborah Humbler (mezzo-soprano).

The only other occasion the two orchestras have come together was for a Schola Cantorum concert in 1973 when the Civic Orchestra (the former name of the DSO) was augmented by members of the NZSO.

The firm that built the Dunedin Town Hall, Naylor Love, is an associate sponsor for the concert, one of several special events being held this year to mark the DSO’s 60th anniversary. The company has long been a supporter of the orchestra.

Coincidentally, Naylor Love also employ Martin, 33, as an apprentice carpenter — although just now she is on maternity leave with her infant son.

Having moved to Dunedin from Waikato with her husband, Martin completed the pre-trades course in carpentry at Otago Polytechnic in 2021.

At the end of that year, she was a recipient of a Naylor Love JA Valentine Scholarship, awarded annually to the top students of the course, which came with a cash prize and an apprenticeship.

Now, she has almost completed her apprenticeship, on pause for a while following the birth of her son.

"Naylor Love are a really good company to work for, and very supportive," she said.

"Some of my workmates are not much for classical music, but everyone is very accepting."

Martin began playing the violin at the age of 4 and studied music at the University of Waikato under teacher Lara Hall, with input from current Orchestra Wellington concertmaster and NZ Trio violinist Amalia Hall.

Martin has been a member of the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra for the past nine years and principal second violin for five years.

"The DSO is a really good orchestra, and audiences here are the best in New Zealand — they really come out to support us," she said.

A large audience was expected for Friday’s concert, the DSO opening "the gods" at the town hall to accommodate the high demand, which was very exciting.

"The Mahler concert will be something else again — it’s a complex work to play, and being part of such a huge combined orchestra and choir will be amazing," she said.

The concert will also feature the premiere of Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie’s new work Fanfare Kotahitanga.

brenda.harwood@thestar.co.nz