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We are currently looking for some new players – particularly upper strings. If you’d like to join the orchestra, please contact us to check availability of places – we’d love to hear from you.
We are compiling a database of people interested in our future concerts, so please contact us if you'd like to have your name added.
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About Us
Resonance Ensemble was formed in February 2012 by players and, 10 years on, is firmly established as an integral part of the musical landscape of Christchurch and beyond. Recognised as a high-quality, innovative and flexible orchestral ensemble, Resonance provides opportunities for musicians and audiences to experience both popular and novel repertoire beyond the more standard fare offered by Christchurch’s only fully professional orchestra. Programmes range from music for chamber orchestra, works for larger ensemble, and New Zealand compositions, including new commissions.
The orchestra rehearses weekly, presenting three or four concerts per year, and works primarily with Christchurch-based conductors and soloists. Conductors have included Tony Ryan, Helen Renaud, Anthony Ferner and Mark Hodgkinson.
Our final concert for 2022 will be 3pm Sunday 4 December at the Piano - so diary the date now. We look forward to presenting wonderful and innovative programmes for our growing and appreciative audience.
Thanks for your support.
A Tuba Comes to Town
Sunday 4 December, 3pm at The Piano
After two previous attempts to bring a star Tuba player from Australia – Third Time Lucky!
Thomas Allely, principal tuba of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, is travelling from Brisbane specially to play with Christchurch’s excellent and innovative local orchestra Resonance Ensemble in the première of Tony Ryan’s newly revised Tuba Concerto. Ryan is also the conductor of this December’s concert which is Resonance Ensemble’s third shot at scheduling the Tuba Concerto after both previous attempts had to be cancelled because of covid-related trans-Tasman travel restrictions.
The concerto was originally written for Thomas while he was still a school student in Christchurch, and which he played with the NZ Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra in Auckland. Tony Ryan describes the revision of his concerto as an almost complete re-write which recognises the exceptionally advanced virtuoso and musical abilities of this now widely-experienced soloist, and the talented players of the Resonance Ensemble orchestra.
Also on the programme is Otto Nicolai’s colourful and vivacious Overture to his Shakespearian opera The Merry Wives of Windsor, which makes regular appearances at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s popular New Year concerts, and two even more well-known works by Scandinavian composers. Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite showcases Resonance Ensemble’s superb string section, while Sibelius’s tone poem Finlandia is not only one of his finest works, but a gloriously patriotic and emotional declaration of his homeland’s national culture in the face of Russian oppression.
All of these works will come to life with Resonance Ensemble’s usual flair and dynamism in the stunning acoustic of Christchurch’s wonderful concert venue, The Piano, at 3.00pm on Sunday 4 December.
Conductor: Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan is well-known to Christchurch audiences as a conductor, composer, educator, reviewer and adjudicator. He has worked extensively as a conductor and composer for many organisations including Canterbury Opera, Court Theatre, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Christchurch Youth Orchestra. As a teacher he led the performing arts at Linwood College for more than thirty years before spending several years working in Kenya and Singapore.
Since returning to New Zealand, Tony has worked as a regular conductor of Resonance Ensemble, the Christchurch School of Music Sinfonia and the Christchurch Schools' Music Festival Orchestra. Tony’s compositions have been performed and broadcast extensively in New Zealand and abroad, and his most recent works have been performed by Resonance Ensemble, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, orchestras from the Christchurch School of Music and, in November 2022, his latest composition, HAKA (II), was premiered by the Schools' Music Festival Orchestra for whom it was written.
Tony also writes on matters of musical interest – check out his website here.
Tuba: Thomas Allely
Thomas grew up in Christchurch, and began learning tuba at Linwood College before completing his undergraduate degree at Victoria University Wellington, and his postgraduate study in Australia with Steve Rosse of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and also at DePaul University, Chicago, with Floyd Cooley of the San Francisco Symphony.
Having previously held positions with the Wellington Sinfonia, Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Airforce, and the DePaul Screamin’ Demons Pep Band, Thomas was appointed Section Principal Tuba of Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
Thomas also teaches at the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University.
In his spare time, Thomas enjoys going to the gym, reading obscure science fiction novels, and practising macramé.
Leader: Cornelia Didenco
Cornelia was born in Moldova, one of the ex-Soviet Union republics and is a graduate of the Moldavian State Conservatorium. She has more than 30 years’ experience teaching and for most of that time has also played in symphony orchestras in both Moldova and New Zealand. During her time in the Moldavian Symphony Orchestra she performed at the Sala Verdi in La Scala, and at other prestigious venues in Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Romania.
After emigrating to New Zealand, she joined the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and has also appeared as a soloist and in chamber groups, and as the leader of the Resonance Ensemble. Since joining the CSO she has toured with them to Japan and has performed with celebrities such as Diana Krall, Cliff Richard, George Benson, Serj Tankian, and Andrea Bocelli.