We share our important milestone of 40 years with Donald Armstrong’s Amici Ensemble, making their 25th appearance in Waikanae. This amazingly long and rewarding partnership has brought us many memorable concerts since Amici first played in Waikanae in 1989. In a delightful coincidence, Mozart’s glorious Clarinet Quintet was on that 1989 programme. We look forward to hearing it again, also Ravel’s evocative Introduction and Allegro, one of the highlights of Amici’s 2010 concert.

One of our Society’s objectives is to commission a new work from a New Zealand composer to mark each 5th anniversary. Each of these works has been premiered by Donald and his band of prominent NZSO musicians. Our 2018 commission is from a young composer who is one of this country’s most exciting new voices. Salina Fisher has won the prestigious Sounz Contemporary Award two years in a row and has been honoured with a 2017 New Generation Award from the NZ Arts Foundation. A recipient of a Waikanae Music Society Charitable Trust scholarship, Salina is currently studying at New York’s Manhattan School of Music. Her new work, which takes its inspiration from the Waikanae landscape, will be one of the highlights of a delightful programme that also includes Mozart’s sparkling Flute Quartet and Debussy’s magical Syrinx.