Elizabeth Patchett (Violin) and Guy Donaldson (Piano)

Following the enthusiastic reception given to Olga Shanina on Sunday 7 March concert-goers are in for a treat with a performance by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra violinist Elizabeth Patchett accompanied by Guy Donaldson on Sunday 28 March.

Elizabeth was born in Auckland and raised in Hamilton starting tuition on the violin age 7, piano age 9 and oboe age 13. After completing a Bachelor of Music Degree majoring in performance violin at Auckland University Elizabeth began her full-time career as an orchestral musician with the Auckland Philharmonia and six years later in 1993 joined the N.Z.S.O second violin section.

In 1997 Elizabeth received a Montana Study Award enabling her to spend four months in London studying violin with Maciej Rokowski and in 2001 travelled as a member of the Nevine String Quartet to Boston for chamber music tuition with the Lydian String Quartet at Brandeis University.

Elizabeth has toured and recorded as a member of the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, and has toured for Chamber Music New Zealand as a member of the Nevine String Quartet. Throughout all her years as a professional musician Elizabeth has been a passionate musical educator, working with thousands of primary and secondary school students all over N.Z through the N.Z.S.O education programme and as a private tutor.

Guy Donaldson has accompanied a number of distinguished artists including singers Dame Malvina Major, Anna Leese and Olga Shanina, and has been a concerto soloist with the Manawatu Sinfonia. In 2013 he conducted the Manawatu Sinfonia in a programme of concertos, including two concertos with former piano students in the solo piano roles. Guy was the music director of the Renaissance Singers from 1989 to 2018.

The programme for the coming concert begins with a violin sonata by Handel before moving to a distinctive piece composed by New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn – his Salutes to Seven Poets. The set of pieces was composed at the request of Allen Curnow in 1952 to accompany a poetry reading at Auckland University College which took place on August 9 of that year. Lilburn subsequently forgot about the work until reminded of it in 1988. It was subsequently recorded in 1989 with the violinist Dean Major, pianist Rae de Lisle and Lilburn himself providing a narration. The pieces reflect musically poems by each of New Zealand poets Fairburn, Sinclair, Curnow, Joseph, Baxter, Smithyman and Mason.

Guy will play at the piano one of Edvard Grieg’s most popular pieces – To the Spring, before the performers embark on one of Beethoven’s most popular pieces for violin and piano – his Spring sonata. The piece contains drama, lyricism, humour, and a general sunniness of mood – a great way to set up the rest of the week for audience members.

Admission is by donation, recommended from $5.