Sun, 22 Mar
|Helensville War Memorial Hall
Symphonic Tales
An Auckland Youth Orchestra concert event
Time & Location
22 Mar 2026, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Helensville War Memorial Hall, 2 Porter Crescent, Auckland 0800, New Zealand
About the Concert
Dvořák: Othello Overture, Op. 93
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (cello soloist: Howard Lu)
Fauré: Masques et Bergamasques, Op. 112
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
Conductor: Antun Poljanich
This compelling programme explores themes of love, jealousy, festivity, and fate through four vivid orchestral gems by some of the 19th and early 20th centuries’ most celebrated composers. The concert opens with Othello Overture by Dvořák, a dramatic and richly textured work inspired by Shakespeare’s tragedy. Brimming with sweeping lyricism and powerful orchestral colour, the overture captures the emotional turbulence and intensity of the ill-fated hero. The spotlight then turns to the winner of AYO’s 2025 Soloist Competition, Howard Lu, who will perform Variations on a Rococo Theme by Tchaikovsky. This elegant and virtuosic work pays homage to the grace of the Classical era while radiating Tchaikovsky’s unmistakable warmth and lyric beauty. In the second half of the programme, …