Newsletter April/May 2024 - Message From Philippa Harris, General Manager

Samuel currently holds the position of Principal Horn with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, having returned after a three-year tenure as Principal Horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He commented: “I joined the NZSO in 2012 but then left to take up a job with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the mother country in 2014. However, I missed New Zealand too much, so I came back in 2017 - luckily, they hadn't filled my job in the meantime!”

Like the DSO’s recent experience, not all of Samuel’s concerts are necessarily in the traditional mould. Some of his career highlights include performing with Sting at iconic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, New York Met, and MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He also played Principal Horn on the Star Wars In Concert tour across America, Canada, and Europe with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

The list of people Matthias Bamert has worked with is like an international Who’s Who of music. For example, even during his training, he studied with Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen, began as an apprentice conductor to George Szell, he was an assistant to Leopold Stokowski, and he also worked under Lorin Maazel. He has conducted orchestras around the world and held numerous positions with many of them, including the role of Principal Guest Conductor of the NZSO from 2000 to 2005. In his homeland of Switzerland, he was director of the Lucerne Festival from 1992 to 1998.

What a start to the year for the DSO musicians: from disco-dance music, to JS Bach’s sublime St John Passion with City Choir Dunedin, and now Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Brahms who have been popular in concert halls around the world for centuries. The orchestra is really looking forward to gaining insights from our conductor and soloist, so as to put on an enthralling concert for you, our audience.

We look forward to welcoming you to the concert.