Bay of Plenty Symphonia’s new music director, William McElwee, is thrilled to be working with the orchestra and Scholars Baroque Aotearoa at their upcoming concert on Sunday, May 5, from 3pm at Holy Trinity Church Tauranga.

“This is a concert of beauty, emotion, and awe,” says William.

“The music we will perform is composed to take listeners beyond their normal experience – sound worlds ranging from the sincere beauty of Bloch’s ‘In Memoriam’ to the complex weavings of Brahms in ‘Schicksalslied’ (Song of Destiny), playing off human voices with the instruments of the orchestra with their incredible array of expressive colours, Sibelius’ evocative stage music ‘Valse Triste’, and the enormous triumph over doubt and darkness that is Beethoven’s fifth symphony.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Bay of Plenty Symphonia, who are a wonderful group of musicians passionate about playing classical repertoire as a community.

“I grew up with classical music, rejected it in my teens, and started flirting with it again in my first year at university, where I was majoring in Latin and mathematics.

"It was probably all escapism, but I wanted to do everything: conduct, compose, and perform.”

‘Fate and Destiny: Beethoven and Brahms’ is on Sunday, May 5, at 3pm at Holy Trinity Church, Devonport Rd, Tauranga City.

Online tickets cost adults $20 plus a booking fee at: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/  or phone: 0800 BUY TIX (289 849).

Under-18s gain free entry. Door sales cost $25 per adult.