Bringing the sparkle of sensational live music to mid-week evening plans, Auckland Philharmonia’s Six-thirty Sessions are back in 2026 with two unmissable concerts. On Thursday 9 April, mesmerising maestro Pierre Bleuse leads the Auckland Phil in Tchaikovsky’s spirited Fourth Symphony. Global cello sensation Sheku Kanneh-Mason joins the orchestra on Wednesday 12 August to perform Elgar’s magnificent Cello Concerto, under the direction of acclaimed Australian-Swiss conductor Elena Schwarz.
With a 6.30pm start time and a more compact concert format of just over an hour duration, Six-thirty Session concerts are perfectly timed so you can experience an incredible performance by Auckland’s professional orchestra after work and still make it to an 8pm dinner reservation in the city.
Six-thirty Session: Tchaikovsky 4
In April, French conductor Pierre Bleuse brings a touch of je ne sais quoi to a programme overflowing with passion and desire in the Six-thirty Session: Tchaikovsky 4 concert. Heralded as "a conducting force to be reckoned with" (Arcana.fm), Bleuse is a celebrated conductor who collaborates regularly with major international ensembles. He delighted audiences in his Australasian debut with the Auckland Phil last year and this is a special opportunity to see him return to the podium.
Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, also known as his ‘fate’ symphony, is an emotional reflection of the tumultuous year that this great composer experienced while writing this passionate piece. Bleuse’s sparkling interpretation of this masterpiece, performed by a full-strength Auckland Phil, is not to be missed.
To open the concert, Bleuse leads the Auckland Phil in Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, the beginning and ending of this powerful and iconic opera that introduce the themes of passion, loss and heartbreak that run throughout.
Six-thirty Session: Sheku & Elgar
“Global phenomenon” (The Telegraph) British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is one of the most in-demand young classical stars in the world right now, so if there’s one performance you need to see this year – this is it. Just a few highlights from his impressive resume include winning BBC’s Young Musician of the Year, Artist-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic and performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Following his Carnegie Hall performance in April, this August he makes his New Zealand debut, performing Elgar’s exquisite Cello Concerto.
This Six-thirty Session: Sheku & Elgar concert is in response to high demand for tickets for the orchestra’s The New Zealand Herald Premier Series: Sheku Plays Elgar concert the following night, giving more music-lovers the chance to see this sought-after artist in action with an alternative, earlier evening option.
If you’re looking for the perfect date night, post-work catch-up with friends, or a pre-dinner show to remember, an Auckland Phil Six-thirty Session is the event for you.
