AYO - A Place of Quiet

Entry by donation

Experience the thrill of 75 talented young musicians (ages 16-26) performing together with energy, precision and passion!

The Programme:
Cowdell: A Place of Quiet
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.2
Dvorak: Symphony No.7

Auckland Youth Orchestra presents an exciting symphony concert conducted by Antun Poljanich, featuring pianist Shangrong Feng and tenor Shiddharth Chand.

Cowdell: A Place of Quiet
Written in 1987 by NZ composer Alexander Cowdell, this short composition is a setting of a poem by the Australian philosopher, poet and musician Melvyn Cann. A tenor soloist sings first of a spiritual journey through suffering to transcendence and peace, while the second part describes a state of consciousness where both thought and time cease, and only feeling remains. Prepare to be transported!

Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, Op.102
A cheerful, graceful and undeniably charming work composed in 1957 and premiered by Shostakovich’s son in Moscow. The work’s strong appeal to audiences and pianists alike has endured, and it remains one of Shostakovich’s more popular works.

Dvorak: Symphony No.7 in D minor, Op.70
Written in a time of dark personal circumstances, Dvorak produced this symphony which cemented his international reputation as a composer. It is sometimes called “The Tragic”, and it presents melodies in turn foreboding, lyrical, dance-like and stormily grief-laden. A masterpiece of tragedy and considered by many to be Dvorak’s finest symphony.

Soloist: Tenor Shiddharth Chand is a NZ-born, Fijian-Indian tenor. He was a semi-finalist in the 2022 Lexus Song Quest and was twice runner-up in the U21 section of the NZ Aria competition in Rotorua. Shiddarth is an alumnus of the NZ Opera School and sang Handel’s Messiah with Pakuranga Choral Society and Harbour Voices in 2021 and was a tenor soloist in Bach by Candlelight last year.

Soloist: Pianist Shangrong Feng is currently studying with internationally celebrated pianistProf. Stephanie McCallum. She has won international prizes and awards and most recently received the 2022 Postgraduate Scholarship in Classical Piano Performance.

Conductor: Music Director Antun Poljanich was born in Croatia, studied piano in Dubrovnik and conducting at the University of Ljubljana. Following post-graduate studies in Austria, he won a scholarship which took him to Leningrad for a three-year Master Course in Conducting at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. He has since worked with the Leningrad State Symphony Orchestra, the Veneto Philharmonia, the Slovene and Croatian National Orchestras and other prominent orchestras in Russia and Europe.