Young musicians' time to shine

By HEATH LEES

Aotea Square is about to be flooded again. Not with water, but with waves of young people, all involved in music-making at The Edge. Never, it seems, have so many youngsters come together for so many musical events over so short a time.

On Saturday the national chamber music contest run by Chamber Music New Zealand, will be held in Auckland for the first time in nearly 40 years. From a seething total of 7000 players, the groups of finalists from around the country are converging on the Town Hall, with their eyes firmly fixed on the top prize, which this year includes $10,000 for the prize-winners' school.

In the district finals a couple of months ago, Auckland fielded 88 groups - some with intriguing titles, such as Tutti Flutti and Kiss My Brass. Following the play-offs, there are three winning groups in Saturday's final - a quintet, a quartet, and a trio. Vying with them for top place will be a trio from Nelson and a trio and three quartets from Christchurch. The contest's adjudicators are Justine Cormack from Auckland Philharmonia, conductor Peter Scholes, and pianist Michael Houstoun.

Another welcome first is the visit of the National Youth Orchestra, making its first Auckland appearance in nearly a decade. Following their intensive Wellington course and public concert on August 31 at the Michael Fowler Centre, the musicians pile onto buses and head north for the action replay in Auckland on September 2, with a programme that includes music by Mozart, Don Juan by Richard Strauss and Prokofiev's virtuosic Fifth Symphony.

Soloist with the orchestra in a work by Chopin is 17-year-old, multi-talented Auckland pianist Justin Bird, who also plays viola with the orchestra - but apparently not both together; not so far, at least.

After the NYO's last notes have died away, it's the turn of the Auckland Secondary Schools Band and Orchestra Festival, which runs throughout the week of August 27, and has a double-headed "Showcase" event on September 4 (bands) and September 6 (orchestras).

Just by itself, this festival musters 2500 young musicians and forms the highlight of the musical year for schools in the Auckland area. Taking part this year are 95 groups from 34 schools.

As usual, the organisers say the standard is even higher. But that's what the Youth Orchestra officials say, too, and the chamber music people as well. And no doubt they're all correct, since youngsters do seem to be playing better, faster these days.

The next two weeks will give Auckland plenty of opportunities to find out.