The Gisborne Combined Secondary Schools Orchestra took their music to the people this week with four performances in one day entertaining a diverse audience ranging from school students to retirees.

Playing a repertoire made up mostly of contemporary music, the orchestra played at Ilminster Intermediate and Gisborne Intermediate schools as well as the Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village.

Conductor and music arranger Anna Marie Fenn said the orchestra was sounding great and the music went down a treat; it even involved some audience participation in the percussion section.

“It’s good for the younger students to see classical instruments playing modern music,” Ms Fenn said.

“We hope it inspires them.”

“The students played exceptionally well and demonstrated great team work with four pack-ins and pack-outs.”

The Gisborne Combined Secondary Schools Orchestra is made up of students from Gisborne high schools as well as several teachers playing violin.

Around 20 musicians took part in Tuesday’s tour including GGHS head of music Jane Egan who runs the orchestra with Ms Fenn and plays bass guitar in the group.

The orchestra practises every week on a Tuesday and is now preparing to play at school prizegivings throughout Gisborne.

The idea behind a combined orchestra was to rejuvenate interest in instruments such as cello, violin, viola, flute, piano and brass used traditionally in performances of classical music. The combined schools orchestra was started seven years ago and adds another string to options for students.

The versatile young orchestra played a range of items, from a Michael Jackson medley to the classical piece Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the ballet The Nutcracker Suite.