APO Connecting

APO Connecting is all about the APO’s links to the community. Through education and outreach and activities and concerts, our aim is to excite and engage you and share our passion for orchestral music.

In public venues, schools and classrooms, APO Connecting connects our professional players with schools, individuals and communities. In a flagship programme that is the envy of many other orchestras, and widely applauded by educators and community leaders, we inspire young musicians, connect music makers and music lovers of the present and the future, and offer concerts, workshops and tutorials.

From introductions for pre-schoolers to professional development and mentoring for aspiring musicians, composers and conductors, APO Connecting engages people through orchestral music experiences suited to their needs and interests.

Alongside a structured education programme for schools, we offer concerts and activities for all ages. Concerts such as APO 4 Kids, Unwrap the Music, Sanctuary Series and Discovery, and activities such as Open Days open the door to the excitement of orchestral performance and a deeper understanding of music and how it is created.

Highlights in the 2013 APO Connecting programme include the Organ Spectacular concert in the Town Hall, which is the culmination of 18 months’ collaboration between composers and organists in creating new works for the Town Hall organ; our 2013 dance project, which comes together in the second half of the year; two Big Play In concerts that let non-professional musicians perform alongside their APO counterparts; and Connecting in Action, the APO’s contribution to UNESCO’s International Arts Education Week in May. This  showcases some of the APO’s education activities in a concentrated week of events to increase awareness of the importance of arts education and  of promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.

And, of course, we continue to expand our world-class Sistema Aotearoa programme, inspired by the engagement and enthusiasm of the students and the people of Otara.

Details about all APO Connecting activities for 2013 will be in a separate brochure, released in January 2013. Please call our education office on 09 623 5626 to receive your copy.