Orchestra Wellington concert season

Orchestra Wellington is New Zealand’s oldest professional regional orchestra. Its busy concert series includes music from classical, romantic, and contemporary periods. You’ll also see it regularly performing with the Orpheus Choir, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and New Zealand Opera.

For its 2025 season, ‘The Dictator’s Shadow’, the orchestra focuses in part on Dimitri Shostakovich. The programme includes masterpieces that symbolise the artist’s struggle and resilience under repression and political control. Coupled with works from other composers the concerts feature local and international soloists.

Tickets go on sale 1 March 2025.

Orchestra Wellington 2025 Season

An illustration of a man in a coat walking in the rain with a violin case over his head.

Prodigy

12 April 2025Michael Fowler Centre

Shostakovich’s Symphony No.1 brought him almost immediate worldwide acclaim. It is a precocious work, classical in form but with a sarcastic tone. Partnering this is another great symphony written by a teenager: Bizet’s Symphony No.1. It’s described as a paragon of Romantic gesture. Concertmaster Amalia Hall will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, one of the greatest concertos of the 19th century.

An illustration of a man in a coat holding a red balloon and a violin case with another red balloon.

Favoured Son

7 June 2025Michael Fowler Centre

Shostakovich’s Symphony No.2 represents a young composer experimenting with modernism while responding to Soviet demands. Pianist Jian Liu is an associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington. He performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.3. Rounding out the programme is Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’. This orchestral suite captures the exoticism and allure of ‘The Arabian Nights’.

An illustration of a man in a coat sits at a table with a glass of red wine and a violin case.

Party Faithful

26 July 2025Michael Fowler Centre

Hear two masterpieces from the 20th century. Shostakovich’s Symphony No.3 reflects his early attempts to navigate Soviet cultural demands. It mixes militaristic fanfare with introspective passages. Lev Sitkov plays cello in Britten’s Symphony for Cello and Orchestra. It stands as a testament to the rich artistic dialogue between Britten and Shostakovich.

An illustration of a man in a coat sitting on a park bench with a violin case resting against it.

Secrets

20 September 2025Michael Fowler Centre

This programme features one of Shostakovich’s most significant works. Symphony No.4 calls for massive orchestral forces. It marks the composer’s last time referencing Soviet modernism. You’ll also hear violinist Yura Lee perform Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and the world premiere of the 2025 SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music annual commission.

An illustration of a man in a coat holding a violin case peeking around a corner.

Enemy of the State

18 October 2025Michael Fowler Centre

Kiwi soprano Madeleine Pierard sings excerpts from Shostakovich’s opera ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’. The programme includes the New Zealand premiere of Orchestra Wellington patron and composer John Psathas’ work ‘Next Planet’. The third work in the programme also has a Kiwi connection. The Glazunov’s Violin Concerto will utilise the considerable skills of New Zealand-born violinist Benjamin Baker.

An illustration of a man in a coat kneels and prays to his violin case.

The Artist Repents

22 November 2025Michael Fowler Centre

New Zealand composer Victoria Kelly premieres her Requiem. It uses poetry by Bill Manhire, Sam Hunt, Chloe Honum, Ian Wedde, and James K Baxter. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 is possibly his most famous and frequently performed symphony. It could be viewed as a sincere expression of Soviet ideals or a subversive critique of totalitarianism. Whichever it is, it continues to captivate audiences with its emotional depth and structural brilliance.