Join an Orchestra

ORCHESTRAS!

The Christchurch School of Music is one of New Zealand’s greatest musical treasures, and we’re always on the hunt for new members for our range of ensembles – no matter your age or experience! We are taking enrolments now.

Is it time to change yours or your child’s life with music?

There is nothing quite like the experience of playing in an orchestra and at CSM we believe this is an important part of the learning process. An orchestra not only gives students the ability to be part of a “big” sound from very early stages of their musical development, but also helps students to develop a sense of rhythm, pitch and sight reading skills. It’s also great fun! All of our orchestras will play a mix of traditional orchestral repertoire along with a selection of more contemporary tunes that will appeal to younger students such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.

The enrolment fee for orchestras covers face to face rehearsals, on line lessons, performance opportunities and sectional work.

Junior Symphony Orchestra

Saturday 8:45 – 9:55
Avonhead School (55 Avonhead Road)

Conductor: Anne Robinson

Students choosing to learn an orchestral instrument should consider joining the Junior Symphony Orchestra (JSO) after they have been learning for about a year. Students need to have some confidence in reading music in order to enjoy the experience, but your teacher will be able to help you to decide the appropriate time to join. JSO is a fantastic introduction to orchestral playing where students will learn the concept of a beat and learn the importance of watching the conductor. Students of all ages are welcome to join this wonderful orchestra.

Intermediate Symphony Orchestra

Saturday 10:00 – 11:25
Avonhead School (55 Avonhead Road)

Conductor: Grant Bartley

The Intermediate Symphony Orchestra is a great orchestra for students who have been learning an instrument for 3-5 years. The focus at this level is on making the orchestral playing experience enjoyable, and students will also begin to learn more about working together, learning more advanced musical concepts and interpretation of the music. The players will experience a greater range of repertoire including some of the well-known great classics.

Sinfonia

Saturday 11:30 – 1:00
Avonhead School (55 Avonhead Road)

Conductor: Tony Ryan

Sinfonia is our senior Saturday Orchestra. Players are selected on merit, and ages range from around 11 or 12 year-olds to senior secondary school students. A general guideline for Sinfonia’s ability level is grade 5 and above.

This orchestra mainly plays standard repertoire by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Brahms, Sibelius, etc. Some recent performances have included Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, Mars from Holst’s The Planets, Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre and music specially written for the orchestra by its conductor and composer Tony Ryan.

Some recent special projects have included playing alongside the NZSO, a joint performance with the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, a video performance in the Christchurch Town Hall, and a ‘Flashmob’ tour of two Christchurch shopping centres.

Although Sinfonia aims for high quality music-making and a professional level of presentation, there is a strong focus on players having an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The orchestra also has tertiary-level student assistants for each section (strings, woodwind, brass, percussion) who often play alongside the younger players.

Many Sinfonia players later go on to play in CSM’s Christchurch Youth Orchestra, and several have then become Sinfonia’s tutors and assistants

Christchurch Youth Orchestra

The Christchurch Youth Orchestra has its own website – for more information check it out:

www.cyo.org.nz

Stringendo (Adults)

Tuesday 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Avonhead School, 55 Avonhead Road, Room R28

Conductor: Tessa Olivier

A string ensemble formed especially for adult string players who have been learning for a few years or who learnt in the past and would love to get the violin, viola, cello or double bass out and play it again! The ensemble rehearses weekly and players will learn technical and orchestral aspects of playing in groups as well as playing string orchestra music. The group is very social and is perfect for adults wanting to have some fun with their music!

Camerata Strings

Conductor: Patrick Shepherd

Camerata Strings is a string orchestra made up of violins, violas, cellos and double bass for professional and advanced adult string players who enjoy playing the sublime string repertoire. Camerata is a performance based group that rehearses in the weeks leading up to a performance. Players can choose how many concerts they wish to participate in throughout the year.

Camerata Strings is having a break in 2024

Terms & Conditions

Enrolment
It is usual practice for students to enrol for a minimum of one semester (1/2 a year) however we do offer Blocks of 5 or 10 lessons for adult students.
If you are under 18 years of age a parent or guardian will need to sign the enrolment form.

Fees & Payment
Fees for lessons and participation in performing groups can be paid in full before classes start, or in weekly, fortnightly, quarterly or semester installments. As fees are not optional at the Christchurch School of Music, we do require either all or a portion of the fee to be paid in advance of the start of lessons. It is expected that unless fees are paid before the start of the semester, an automatic payment will be set up to cover the remaining fees for the year.
If an agreement is made to pay fees in installments the CSM office will email invoices at the appropriate intervals.
Fees can be paid by internet banking, credit card or cash.
CSM does have some Financial Support available. These monies are reliant on a grant, so can not be guaranteed. If you would like to be considered for financial assistance and have a community services card please indicate this on your enrolment form. Financial Assistance in 2023 will only be available on lesson fees.
As CSM is a small not-for-profit organisation we do need to ensure that fees are paid regularly and promptly. Please contact the office immediately if you have any problems meeting commitments. We do use normal business methods to recover outstanding debt.

Refunds & Cancellations
CSM will refund fees paid in advance if you cancel your lessons before the beginning of a term or semester. However if you are unable to attend lessons part way through a term we will not be able to refund the remaining lessons because your teacher will have been contracted for that time.

Lessons
If you are unable to attend a lesson we cannot guarantee that the missed lessons will be able to be rescheduled. Tutors will endeavour to offer alternative lesson arrangements if they can. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide catch up lessons if you miss a group lesson.
If your teacher is unavailable for a lesson we will endeavour to make up the lesson at a mutually agreed time.

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