No fewer than three high-class soloists will grace the stage of the Captaine Bougaineville theatre accompanied by the Northland Sinfonia on the 16th May 2010. 

As part of its “Land and Sea” programme, Northland’s community orchestra, conducted by Nigel Harrison will showcase three talented local musicians, two playing concertos by Vivaldi and Chaminade and the third singing the wonderful “Sea Pictures” by Elgar. One of the aims of the orchestra is to give its most talented players an opportunity to display their musicianship in front of a ‘home crowd’.

The concert starts with Regine Hagg playing the Vivaldi Oboe Concerto RV454. This baroque work written in the early 18th Century allows the oboist to take us back to an era of gracious Court gatherings, masked balls and powdered wigs. Regine grew up in a small village in southern Germany within a very musical family. The choice of oboe over clarinet proved fortunate for it opened doors to the vibrant Classical and Church Music scene in Stuttgart. Regine studied oboe and Early Childhood Music Education at the University of Heidelberg-Mannheim. Having moved to NZ in 1994 she has remained living in the Whangarei area and teaching oboe and recorder as well as general music using the Orff Schulwerk approach. We are indeed privileged to have her as our principal oboist.

Eva Harris begins the second half of the programme with the Concertino for Flute and Orchestra by Cecile Chaminade. Cecile Chaminade was a woman born into a man’s world. As a composer she wrote elegant and lyrical music, but the critics savaged her compositions so that she never really gained the recognition she deserved. The Concertino displays all of her elegiac sensitivity and is beautifully characterised by Eva. A fine young flautist, she only began playing with the orchestra last year. Indeed all her experience previously was playing in wind bands around the world. She began with recorder in Whangarei Youth Music and then, playing flute, travelled extensively throughout Australasia, Hawaii and Canada joining in wherever should could. Also a talented actress she is singing in Whangarei Theatre Company’s production of ‘Hot Mikado”. This is Eva’s first opportunity to play a concerto and we’re delighted she chose the Northland Sinfonia to accompany her.

Marion Hammond is making a welcome return to Whangarei where she grew up.  Also a product of Whangarei Theatre Company (WAODS as it was then) she has progressed from roles such as the narrator in “Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat” and Anita in “West Side Story” to both amateur and professional solo work round the world. Her beautifully sonorous mezzo-soprano voice took her to London where she specialised in cameo roles in Music Hall during her OE. Her voice is perfectly suited to singing Elgar’s wonderfully evocative “Sea Pictures”. The five movements depict the sea in all its moods and includes the hauntingly beautiful “Where Corals Lie”. We are delighted to welcome Marion back to her hometown for this special concert. The concert begins at 3.00pm and tickets are available from Ticketek.