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We welcome enquires from players; if you’d like to join the orchestra, please contact us to check availability of places – we’d love to hear from you.​
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About Us
Resonance Ensemble was formed in February 2012 by players and is now 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.
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The orchestra, conducted by Tony Ryan, rehearses weekly, presenting four concerts per year, and works primarily with Christchurch-based soloists. Previous conductors have included Helen Renaud, Anthony Ferner and Mark Hodgkinson.
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Dates for 2025 are: Sunday 6 April, 15 June, 14 September and 30 November, so diary them now. We look forward to presenting wonderful and innovative programmes for our growing and appreciative audience.
Thanks for your support.
Our next concert is:
Waifs & Strays
3pm, Sunday 6 April at The Piano
Resonance Ensemble and conductor Tony Ryan delve into some less well-known music by Rossini and Prokofiev, as well as a hidden gem from an almost completely unknown composer.
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Rossini’s comic opera Il Signor Bruschino is rarely heard these days although its sparkling overture is one of the composer’s most delightful – full of spirit and some novel special effects.
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Another forgotten waif is the composer and horn player Jan Václav Stich who translated his name to Giovanni Punto when he ran away from home at the age of 20 and went to Italy. Our horn soloist for this concert, Alex Morton, suggested we include Punto’s Horn Concerto No. 5 in our programme. It’s proved to be quite a find and demonstrates what an exceptional virtuoso this composer must have been.
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Also on our programme is one of Sergei Prokofiev’s least played works – his Overture on Hebrew Themes, another stray masterpiece that deserves to be heard more often because of its catchy melodies and colourful orchestration. But, perhaps even more of a waif and a stray is the same composer’s Symphony No. 7, which was completed in 1952, just a year before Prokofiev died.
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Resonance Ensemble has previously played Prokofiev’s very popular Symphony No. 1 – the Classical Symphony and, although his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies are also frequently played and recorded, the less often heard Seventh is perhaps the composer’s most gorgeously tuneful and harmonically adventurous. Less dramatic and aggressive than some of Prokofiev’s earlier symphonies, the Seventh is a heart-felt and lyrical masterpiece that will remind listeners of his uplifting and moving Romeo and Juliet ballet music.
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Not to be missed!
Tony Ryan is well-known to Christchurch audiences as a conductor, composer, educator, and reviewer. As a conductor he learnt his craft as repetiteur, chorus master and conductor for many organisations including Canterbury Opera where he was assistant to international guest conductors including Vanco Cavdarski, John Matheson, Martin Turnovsky and many others. Since then he has worked extensively as a conductor and composer for Court Theatre, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Christchurch Youth Orchestra and others.
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In addition to Resonance Ensemble, Tony is the conductor of the Christchurch School of Music Sinfonia and the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival Orchestra. ​​​
Conductor: Tony Ryan
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His compositions have frequently been performed and broadcast in New Zealand
and abroad, most recently by Resonance Ensemble, the Christchurch Symphony
Orchestra, the Canterbury Philharmonia, and orchestras from the Christchurch
School of Music. Most recently, he conducted Resonance Ensemble in his orchestral song cycle Omi-Kin-Kan as part of a concert of works by New Zealand composers.
As a teacher Tony led the performing arts at Linwood College for more than thirty
years followed by several years working in Kenya and Singapore.
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Tony also writes on matters of musical interest – check out his website here.
French Horn: Alex Morton
Alex grew up in Christchurch as a nerdy musical kid, taking part in every performance opportunity he could. While he originally set his sights on learning the trombone, his short eight-year-old arms meant that a French horn was fortuitously placed in them instead.
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In 2009, Alex moved to Wellington to complete his Bachelor of Music before continuing his studies at the Australian National Academy of Music. During his four years at ANAM he really began to cut his teeth professionally in the wonderfully vibrant music scene that Melbourne had to offer, holding contracts with both the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and appearing as Guest Principal Horn with Orchestra Victoria.
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As a chamber musician, Alex pursues his love of the medium as a member of the internationally-acclaimed Morton Trio, with his wife and violinist, Arna Morton, and pianist, Liam Wooding.
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In 2020, Alex and Arna moved back to Christchurch where Alex’s career has evolved into a richly fulfilling one. While still performing regularly as one of New Zealand’s most desirable freelance musicians, Alex has also delved headfirst into the fulfilling world of music and performance education. See more at: https://www.mortonmusic.online/
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 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.