Kōrero: Orchestras

A 1961 newsreel shows the National Youth Orchestra in rehearsal under the baton of John Hopkins. Hopkins, who came out to New Zealand from Britain in 1957 to conduct the National Orchestra, left a strong musical legacy during his six-year term. He championed New Zealand composers and founded two orchestras – in 1959 the National Youth Orchestra, and in 1961 a small string orchestra for young players, which later became the Schola Musica.