Wellington Day 1 (by Alan Thomas)

Bouyant from another successful show in a rather wet Dunedin, we boarded our airport shuttle and our perky resident driver ‘Starsky’ whisked us off to the airport.

Our Chamber Music NZ fan welcomes us at Wellington airport

On arrival in Wellington we enjoyed a short walk along the stunning Wellington Harbour, described by some as ‘mini Melbourne’. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and Matt Knight had an even quicker dip in the choppy waters, before our final NZ-based rehearsal for Septura’s up and coming recording of the Nutcracker on Naxos.

Relaxing at Wellington Harbour

 

Matt Knight enjoys a quick dip

We were generously allowed to rehearse in the home of the Royal New Zealand Airforce band, decorated in banners, uniforms and framed pictures of their various engagements around the world.

We have performed Nutcracker several times now, with a variety of celebrity narrators. However, most of the rehearsal was used learning 3 exciting additional arrangements by Mssrs Knight and Cox of the Battle, Waltz and Pas de Deux. As always, much care is taken over getting the right nuances and tempos, and after three hours I can safely say we’re totally ready to put the red light on.

Tuesday the 30th marked the long awaited ‘free day’ in the schedule. After the 4-day residency in Nelson, 3 concerts, not to mention a lot of travel time it’s great to have a bit of time to relax and recharge the batteries before our final two shows in Wellington and Auckland.

Walking up Mt Victoria

Artistic Directors at the summit

As in all groups we all have our different ways of utilising this time. Runs exploring picturesque trails, climbing Mnt. Victoria, private lessons, personal practice, Museums, gift shopping and HIIT workouts all filled the day before we came together for a wine and cheese soirée hosted by Dave Bremner, followed by a succulent roast lamb dinner in a local restaurant.

Meal with our host Dave Bremner and other NZ friends

Fully recharged we’re all ready to get back to performing tomorrow!