Bethlehem College music director Kelly Hayward has spent 20 years shaping young musicians in the Bay of Plenty.

This month she steps into new territory, making her conducting debut with Bay of Plenty Symphonia at their upcoming concert, Young@Heart 3: Growing Up Is Optional, on June 20.

Hayward, director of performance music at Bethlehem College who oversees its 40-piece student orchestra and other co-curricular music groups, was invited to conduct BOPS after guest conducting Youth Philharmonic Tauranga last year.

The opportunity fits her philosophy perfectly. “I just want to keep saying ‘Yes’ to opportunities where I can, to keep growing and developing as a conductor.”

Her programme is a suite of Italian opera overtures chosen collaboratively with BOPS musical director Michael Joel and co-conductor William McElwee.

The selection includes Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Rossini’s Barber of Seville and Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours, which many audiences will recognise from Disney’s Fantasia.

Beneath each overture, she said, runs a current of playful energy she hopes audiences will feel. The Rossini in particular captures the spirit of the concert’s cheeky title.

The Barber of Seville features in the Looney Tunes’ Rabbit of Seville and the Ponchielli has hippos and alligators dancing in Fantasia. “That comedic spirit is right there in the music.”

Conducting an adult orchestra had also offered a different dynamic from the school rehearsal room. With BOPS, the knowledge and leadership comes from within the players themselves, something she genuinely relishes.

Several of her Bethlehem College students play in Youth Philharmonic Tauranga, who share the stage with BOPS on the day.

Young@Heart 3: Growing Up Is Optional is at Otūmoetai College Performing Arts Centre, Saturday, June 20, from 3.30pm. Tickets cost adults $15, under-18s enter for free, from Eventfinda, The Strand Tauranga, Fenton St Rotorua, or phone 0800 BUY TIX.