Auckland Philharmonia’s 2025 Season has a stellar lineup of over 40 electrifying concerts. We spoke to the mastermind behind the season, our Director of Artistic Planning Gale Mahood, who shares her thoughts and some special insights into the programme in store for next year.
What an incredible 2025 Season lies ahead, featuring performances by some of the world’s best artists. What factors do you consider when building a full year of performances?
On the artist side, the process of building a programme begins with confirming dates that we can use venues. The next step is gathering guest conductor and soloist availabilities – this is a collaborative process involving many of the region's other orchestras and presenters as we often invite international artists for multi-week tours of Australia and New Zealand.
As high-profile performers are in demand and have less availability, we tend to place them in the early phase of planning. We also look for opportunities to feature local artists (including our own musicians) as soloists.
Ultimately, I look for musicians who have that magical combination of technical mastery and interpretative skills. The best artists tell a story with their playing and are also generous collaborators.
Who will be making debut performances next year?
We have some wonderful debuts next year. Korean guitarist JIJI will be making an Australasian debut in Rodrigo's famous Concierto de Aranjuez. She's been making a name for herself in the States and is quite the rising star over there, so it's an honour to be one of the first orchestras outside that market to share her talent.
Another important Australasian debut will be with Pierre Bleuse, one of the most exciting new conducting personalities in France. He has recently taken on the Music Directorship of Paris' Ensemble Intercontemporain and is a true institution in the world of contemporary music.
