Concertmaster Andrew Beer performing with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Photo: Adrian Malloch
FOLLOW Voices on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Radio Public and iHeart Radio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Violinist Andrew Beer’s day job is concertmaster for the Auckland Philharmonia (APO). As the musical leader of the orchestra, he sits just to the left of the conductor.
But every now and then, Andrew gets up from his chair and moves more towards the centre of the stage, as the soloist in a violin concerto. In June, Andrew will premiere a brand-new concerto by major New Zealand composer Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead.
Called Tai Timu, Tai Pari, this piece is special for Andrew, who is a Canadian by birth, a Kiwi by choice and a huge fan of New Zealand contemporary composers.
APO concertmaster Andrew Beer with wife Michelle and daughter Audrey. Photo: Supplied/Andrew Beer
“I didn’t know anything about New Zealand composers before I moved here,” says Andrew. Pianist Sarah Watkins was his guide and Andrew says he immediately loved what he heard.
“I really honestly find that New Zealand punches far above its weight for composers. I think if there was a study of the number of gifted composers per population, I think we would probably win. It’s amazing how much talent there is here.”
In this Voices episode. Andrew Beer talks to producer Justin Gregory about finding a new home, a new passion for local music and the pressures and pleasures of moving across the world to follow a musical career.
