Vesa-Matti Leppanen

String players step into the spotlight in the first of a major new concert series showcasing individual sections of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

NZSO Soloists opens in Wellington on 30 September before touring Auckland, Hamilton, Invercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch in October.

Visionary young NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppnen leads this tour, which features a brilliant ensemble of NZSO string players.

This is a rare chance for the audience to get up close and personal with the string section and hear a range of exceptional chamber-style music unusual to the NZSO.

Vesa-Matti Leppnen will talk to the audience during the concert, introducing the music and the players. The 39-year-old Finn joined the NZSO ten years ago and was appointed Concertmaster in 2005.

He says: "We're incredibly excited about this tour. It's a showcase of our first violins and the other string sections, and the repertoire is a pleasure to play."

The programme includes the dreamy Impromptu by Jean Sibelius and Felix Mendelssohn's delightful String Symphony No 10, written when he was just 12 years old.

Vesa says: "Each of the pieces has a meditative quality, and muse on sleeping and dreaming - so it's the perfect concert experience if you've had a hard day at work!"

NZSO Soloists also features a guest appearance by NZSO Principal Flute Bridget Douglas, who performs a solo in Arthur Foote's A Night Piece.

Further, Andrew Joyce will make his debut as NZSO Principal Cello on this tour. This inaugural NZSO Soloists tour will be followed in 2011 by further tours showcasing woodwind and brass.