Matthias Balzat: Joie de vivre!

Opus Orchestra needs your help to present Matthias Balzat: Joie de vivre, which will tour Hamilton, Rotorua and Tauranga this May. This concert tour features a home-grown talent Matthias Balzat,  who has returned from overseas to perform as our soloist. Matthias Balzat: Joie de vivre represents two things we are passionate about – nurturing the careers of up-and-coming musicians and celebrating their success!

Exciting Matching Donation Opportunity!

We have fantastic news! A generous donor has pledged to match every donation dollar-for-dollar up to $3,000! This means that every contribution you make will have double the impact, up to the first $3,000. Your support will help us cover musician fees and workshop expenses.

About Us

Opus Orchestra is the professional orchestra for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. We strive to bring exceptional performances of live orchestral music to audiences across our region. For this project, Opus will be conducted by Music Director Peter Walls, and will be joined by superstar kiwi cellist Matthias Balzat.

About Matthias Balzat: Joie de vivre tour and conducting workshop

This tour, taking place 24-26 May, celebrates the remarkable talent of the young kiwi musician Matthias Balzat and his international accomplishments, bringing his exceptional skills and passion back to our local audience.

Matthias Balzat cut his teeth as a cellist in Opus Orchestra while he was studying at the University of Waikato. When he won the University of Waikato Concerto Competition, Opus featured him as a soloist. We invited him back as a soloist in 2017, playing the Tchaikovsky 'Rococo Variations'. A fortnight after his Opus concerts, he won the National Concerto Competition in Christchurch with this same work. He is now sought after in Aotearoa and beyond as a soloist. 

Alongside this concert tour we are running a workshop for young conductors. As a professional orchestra, we want to provide as many opportunities to aspiring musicians as we can. During the rehearsals for this concert tour we will host a conducting workshop for aspiring conductors at the onset of their careers and  conductors of secondary school and amateur ensembles, providing them with a chance to work with a professional orchestra. The workshop is scheduled for May 18th, coinciding with the first day of rehearsals for the concert.

The "Matthias Balzat: Joie de Vivre" concert will showcase Vieuxtemps' Cello Concerto No. 1, alongside Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Bizet's Symphony No.1 in C, culminating in a program that promises to be unforgettable. Additionally, we are thrilled to include a piece by Kiwi composer Ross Harris, titled "Music for Jonny". 

Your help is needed!

Through this Boosted campaign, we are crowdfunding to raise money to help pay the artists involved in this project. Matthias Balzat: Joie de vivre represents two things we are passionate about – nurturing the careers of up-and-coming musicians and celebrating their success. Please help us achieve our goal!

Thank you so much for your support.