Our orchestra
Bay of Plenty Symphonia Inc is a community symphony orchestra with 50-60 musicians. Mainly from the Bay of Plenty region, we prepare and perform concerts for audiences in Tauranga and other parts of the Bay of Plenty.
We have playing members who are keen amateur orchestral musicians. Some of our members are music teachers but many work in other jobs or are retired and enjoy their music as a hobby. We also have some non-playing members and other volunteers who help behind the scenes.
Supporting youth endeavours
We have policy of encouraging talented young musicians, and many who have played with us have gone on to successful tertiary study in performance. Our biennial Rising Stars concerto competitions have been a popular part of our repertoire since 2009, and have given many secondary school level students from around the Bay the rare opportunity to perform with a live orchestra. The recent introduction of a composition class has led to some exciting new talent being recognised. Our next Rising Stars competitions take place in 2021, with the finalists’ concert on 21 August 2021. Click here for more information.
For the community
We also bring in top-class soloists and interesting groups to perform with us, allowing the local community to hear some wonderful artists close to home at an affordable price. For instance in 2016 we filled the Waihi Beach Community Hall for our Taiko to Tango concert, which featured the Tamashii Taiko Drummers from Auckland. This was probably the first time their biggest drum (as big as a car!) had been taken out of the Auckland area. We’ve also performed with nationally and internationally known soloists such as violinist Benjamin Morrison, pianist Jason Bae and cellist Inbal Megiddo. We try to keep our ticket prices as low as possible for these events so that as many people as possible can benefit. Our occasional free concerts are particularly popular with the community.
How we work
BOPS is a registered charitable entity which means donations over $5 may be tax deductible. All the administrative and organisational activities of our orchestra are overseen by a Managing Committee, made up of elected members. Many other members are involved with the essential tasks necessary for presenting successful performances for the community. We also have a wonderful support group, the Friends of Bay of Plenty Symphonia, whose membership is made up of many local music lovers. It’s a true team effort!
We rehearse most Thursday evenings, generally at the Tauranga City Brass band hall in Greerton. See Be a Player on how to join.