The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 75th anniversary since its first concert this weekend, and the company continues to inspire Kiwis with music.
The orchestra debuted in front of Wellington High School students in 1947, with musicians who still held down day jobs playing the symphonies of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak.
Among the crowd was Valerie Rhodes, who described the show to 1News as "surreal".
"You were surrounded, you were engulfed by absolutely what I then thought were brilliant sounds," Rhodes said.
Inspired by British tradition, the orchestra's formation was driven by the prime minister at the time Peter Fraser.
These days it's a fully professional music making machine, costing $20 million a year to run, with two-thirds coming from the Government.
NZSO chief executive Peter Biggs said the purpose of the orchestra was "to take the greatest music ever made to all New Zealanders and their communities".
Compared to the early days, Biggs said it was a lot more casual now.
"There's a lot less formality now, conductors talk to the audience, players talk to the audience, we mix up the repertoire," Biggs said.
Collaborations with the likes of Kiwi pop star Benee is now part of the mix, while the orchestra has also just appointed the first woman to principal conductor in its history.
SHARE ME