AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra is the musical heart of Auckland and its communities and inspires a life-long love of orchestral music. Ko Te Rāngai Puoro Tuatini o Tāmaki Makau Rau te hā o te oro ki Tāmaki whānui me te whakaoho i te manawaroa mō te rāngai puoro. APO ANNUAL REPORT 2019 APO AT A GLANCE IN 2019… MORE THAN 253,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THE APO PERFORM LIVE APO PERFORMED APO ACHIEVED 70SELF-PRESENTED CONCERTS FULL8 HOUSES OVER % 171,000 PEOPLE TUNED IN TO APO LIVESTREAMS FROM 53OF APO REVENUE WAS SELF-GENERATED ACROSS THE GLOBE 4 APO MUSICIANS DELIVERED OVER 370VISITS TO SCHOOLS AND YOUTH ORCHESTRAS PERFORMED WORLD8 PREMIERES FROM NEW ZEALAND COMPOSERS REACHED OVER 32,000 YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH APO CONNECTING ACTIVITIES APO.CO.NZ 5 APO ANNUAL REPORT 2019 CONTENTS CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 8 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT 9 ARTISTIC & PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS 12 CELEBRATING NEW ZEALAND 14 OUR AUDIENCES 20 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 22 MEET APO 26 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW 28 APO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 29 APO FUNDERS, DONORS AND SUPPORTERS 58 APO SPONSORS 62 CORE FUNDERS Season photography: Adrian Malloch 6 APO.CO.NZ 7 APO ANNUAL REPORT 2019 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT It is my pleasure to report on 2019 on behalf of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Board. Once again, we had an exciting year with 2019 we were also grateful to learn of a a rich combination of mainstage concerts, funding uplift from CNZ in recognition of engagement with our diverse Auckland the excellent work that we do, and our communities, and collaborations with our alignment to CNZ’s strategy and vision for fellow arts companies in Auckland and the role of the Arts in Aotearoa. further afield. In addition to our work on the The review undertaken at the request of concert platform, we were proud to reach the ARAFA Board involved an extensive 32,000 young people through our APO organisational review and I am pleased connecting work, and over 171,000 people that, not unexpectedly, the APO was shown internationally through our livestreams. to be very well-managed and governed We know through both the numbers and with efficiencies in every area. The Review qualitative feedback that orchestral music highlighted the issue that the Board has is uplifting, engaging and relevant for the been aware of for a long time – inadequate communities of Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland player remuneration – and thanks to the and we are proud to continue and develop Funding Board we now have a pathway our artform which is many centuries old. forward to address this issue, in partnership With Giordano Bellincampi at the musical with the players. helm, our musicians were inspired in I would like to acknowledge and express their music-making and in turn, inspired our gratitude to Auckland ratepayers and delighted our audiences. Our aim through the Auckland Regional Amenities is to make the APO an integral part of Funding Act (ARAFA) and to Creative Auckland’s identity and our many full New Zealand (CNZ) for understanding houses, enthusiastic audiences and strong that we cannot continue to thrive without community connections are a measure their unwavering support. Philanthropic of our success with this. We continue to and sponsor contributions are also critical enjoy, and reap benefits from, our home to our success, and it is gratifying to see in the Auckland Town Hall, both as our the continued and increased support we administrative centre and our performance “Being in the heart have across the community through our base. Being in the heart of Auckland’s sponsors, donors, friends and subscribers. of Auckland’s artistic artistic quarter reinforces how much the city values the APO. In turn we are very In my role as Chairman I am fortunate to be quarter reinforces how proud to serve as, and be identified as, the supported by a very active and dedicated much the city values city’s resident professional orchestra, and Board and I would like to offer thanks the sense of belonging and ownership is to each member of the team; they all the APO.” something we sincerely appreciate. contribute so much energy and wisdom to their roles. We were pleased to welcome Alongside our many successes, 2019 had three new Board members during the year: some financial challenges including the Oliver Sealy, Naisi Chen and Gordon Hill. late cancellation of an opera season. The I would also like to thank Eric Renick for APO Board decided to keep the orchestra’s his five years on the Board as our player- momentum by producing some additional elected representative. performances. Although these inevitably resulted in the need to approve a deficit I would like to express my sincere gratitude budget, it was pleasing to see that our year to APO Chief Executive Barbara Glaser and end result was on target: a testament to the her team for their hard work, enthusiasm APO management’s careful cost control and commitment to orchestral music. And and maximising of income streams. finally the musicians of the orchestra who delight us week after week performing with During the second half of the year there flair and passion, inspiring our audiences were funding reviews from both our central and contributing to the vitality of our Geraint A. Martin and local government funders (CNZ and wonderful city. CHAIRMAN ARAFB respectively). Mid-way through AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA TRUST BOARD 8 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT 2019 was another wonderful year of music-making for the APO and music-listening for our audiences. It is heartening to see the continued growth in numbers and appreciation of the quality and role of the orchestra in our community. It was the fourth year with Giordano Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony, pianists Bellincampi as our Music Director and the Alexander Gavrylyuk and Javier Perianes, excitement and focus of our musicians both APO favourites, and James Ehnes, one when he is on the podium is profound. In of the world’s finest violinists. 2019 he continued to concentrate on the Through several of these concerts we masterworks of Berlioz, Schumann, Brahms, were proud to take our orchestra and our Nielsen, Beethoven and Mozart, adding city to the world through our livestreamed some spice with 21st century composers performances, and we made over 171,000 such as Thomas Adès and Salina Fisher. new friends in this way, many of whom Our Opera in Concert with Giordano, Don posted comments and really engaged with Giovanni, was once again a highlight of the both APO and Auckland. year with a capacity audience and top- drawer soloists from around the world and We continued our commitment to New New Zealand. Giordano also made his first Zealand artists, in particular female excursion into Bruckner with the APO, with composers and conductors. This included a wonderfully spacious Bruckner 7 paired performances conducted by Holly Mathieson with a rare performance of Beethoven’s and Tianyi Lu, violinist Amalia Hall, who Triple concerto and a star line-up of gave us a stunning Saint-Saëns Third Violin international soloists. Concerto, and a newly commissioned work by composer Salina Fisher. We know Complementing Giordano’s work we there is still much work to do to build the welcomed some marvellous guest opportunities and profile of women in the conductors including Bertrand de Billy, who classical music world, and we are excited to drew a stunning performance of Franck’s D be on this journey. minor Symphony from our very enthusiastic musicians, and Vladimir Ashkenazy who APO is always strengthened by engaging returned to give us a memorable Dvořák in positive organisational partnerships and Seventh Symphony. This turned out to be collaborations, which continue to enable one of his last performances before he us to push our boundaries and bring the announced his retirement early in 2020. We best experiences to wider and more diverse are so grateful to have had the opportunity audiences. to bring this legendary musician to Auckland twice so that our audiences could In 2019 we maintained our ongoing and “APO is always experience his artistry first-hand. We were highly valued relationships with the New strengthened by also delighted to welcome back Kazuki Zealand Opera, Royal New Zealand Yamada for a thrilling performance of Boléro Ballet, New Zealand International Film engaging in positive amongst other musical gems. Festival and Michael Hill International Violin Competition (MVHIC). For the first organisational A significant musical moment of the year time we also partnered with the Australian partnerships and was the New Zealand premiere of the Ligeti National Academy of Music (ANAM), which Violin Concerto, which was performed by enabled us to present the first Auckland collaborations ...” our very talented concertmaster Andrew performance of Messiaen’s monumental Beer. This was a landmark performance Turangalîla Symphony alongside the for Andrew and for the orchestra and we Auckland Arts Festival (AAF). This remain very grateful to Kiwi conductor enormous undertaking, with over 100 Hamish McKeich for stepping in to musicians on stage, was a feature of both conduct the concert at the last minute. AAF and of the APO concert year and was Other soloists we were delighted to enjoyed by tens of thousands of people present included Joanna McGregor (piano) across the world through our livestream of and Cynthia Millar (ondes Martenot) for the concert. Through exposing the APO to APO.CO.NZ 9 APO ANNUAL REPORT 2019 10 some of Australia’s best young musicians continued to excite and enthral the through every education concert and school we also expanded our reputation and reach youngest members of our community and visit. They give so much to the orchestra to one of our close musical neighbours.