29 Oct 2020

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra launches 2021 Season

From Upbeat, 12:30 pm on 29 October 2020
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at the Christchurch Town Hall

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at the Christchurch Town Hall Photo: Duncan Shaw-Brown

We celebrate this place where we stand, where we share music, and where our stories continue to unfold.

It's one of the first things you see on the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra's website and a message that comes through clearly in the orchestra's recently-launched 2021 programme.

New Zealand musicians feature as soloists throughout the season, and there was no shortage of fine players to choose from.

Gretchen La Roche, chief executive and artistic director of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

Gretchen La Roche, chief executive and artistic director of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Photo: RNZ/ Eden Fusitu’a

"It certainly wasn't hard to put together our roster of solo artists," says the orchestra's CEO Gretchen La Roche.

Gretchen La Roche and the CSO's Chief Conductor Benjamin Northey joined David Morriss to talk through the 2021 season, which includes several new commissions as well as some rarely-performed works such as Leonard Bernstein's Mass.