Conductor Gives It All for Canadian Music Director Role

New York-based conductor New Zealander Gemma New, 27, makes her debut conducting Canada’s Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra on 26 April, her “one and only shot” for the position of HPO music director, according to Leonard Turnevicius for the Hamilton Spectator.

“For a conductor to be successful, we need to make sure that every performance is a great musical experience for everyone there,” New said.

“A conductor needs to be able to personally and personably reach out to people, all people, listeners within the community, and be able to share the news of this great music from our passion and knowledge of it.”

A native of Wellington, and a violinist by training, New was 15 when she first caught the conducting bug.

“From the very first moment, I realised this was my voice that I could share with people, and that I could contribute as a musician.”

New is currently associate conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and director of the Baltimore-based music collective Lunar Ensemble.

Original article by Leonard Turnevicius, The Hamilton Spectator, April 17, 2014.

Photo by Martin Chalifour.