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We welcome enquires from players; if you’d like to join the orchestra, please contact us to check availability of places – we’d love to hear from you.​
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About Us
Resonance Ensemble was formed in February 2012 by players and is now firmly established as an integral part of the musical landscape of Christchurch and beyond. Recognised as a high-quality, innovative and flexible orchestral ensemble, Resonance provides opportunities for musicians and audiences to experience both popular and novel repertoire beyond the more standard fare offered by Christchurch’s only fully professional orchestra. Programmes range from music for chamber orchestra, works for larger ensemble, and New Zealand compositions, including new commissions.
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The orchestra, conducted by Tony Ryan, rehearses weekly, presenting four concerts per year, and works primarily with Christchurch-based soloists. Previous conductors have included Helen Renaud, Anthony Ferner and Mark Hodgkinson.
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Remaining dates for 2025 are: 14 September and 30 November, so diary them now. We look forward to presenting wonderful and innovative programmes for our growing and appreciative audience.
Thanks for your support.
Wayfarers: Music by Mozart, Mendelssohn & Mahler
3pm Sunday 14 September, at The Piano
Conductor: Tony Ryan, Soprano: Helen Charlton
This concert features well-known music, although, as always with our programmes, the works are rarely heard in Christchurch.
​Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony is one of this composer’s most popular pieces. All four movements radiate Italian warmth and vitality, drawing on Italy’s lively dance forms and folk songs. Mendelssohn was often inspired by places he encountered on his extensive travels, and Italy gave him all the colour, spectacle and atmosphere that he needed. These qualities are evident, not only in this joyful and sunny symphony but also in his talent as an artist, as seen in Resonance Ensemble’s poster and imagery for this concert which features one of the composer’s Italian paintings of the Amalfi Coast.
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Soprano Helen Charlton joins the orchestra for Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer). In this cycle of four lyrical songs, Mahler wrote his own words based on German folk poetry and these songs are among the most familiar and appealing of his vocal works, full of rhythmic variety and textural invention. The composer later used some of the material in his first symphony and, like much of Mahler’s music, Songs of a Wayfarer contrasts the beauty of nature with the melancholy of human life.
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The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) was among Mozart’s very last compositions, premiered just two months before his death in 1791 at the age of thirty-five. This magnificent masterpiece is one of the composer’s few German operas (Singspiel), most others being written in the Italian style which was popular at the time. Resonance’s programme includes two extracts from The Magic Flute: the concert will open with its famous Overture, and Helen Charlton will once again join the orchestra for Ach, ich fühl's in which Pamina expresses her anxiety for Tamino’s safety.
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Once again Resonance Ensemble has assembled an inventive and engaging programme that will stay with you as you leave the concert hall to continue your own wayfaring.
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You can watch and listen to our previous concert, Music for Matariki here
Tony Ryan is well-known to Christchurch audiences as a conductor, composer, educator, and reviewer. As a conductor he learnt his craft as repetiteur, chorus master and conductor for many organisations including Canterbury Opera where he was assistant to international guest conductors including Vanco Cavdarski, John Matheson, Martin Turnovsky and many others. Since then he has worked extensively as a conductor and composer for Court Theatre, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Christchurch Youth Orchestra and others.
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In addition to Resonance Ensemble, Tony is the conductor of the Christchurch School of Music Sinfonia and the Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival Orchestra. ​​​
Conductor: Tony Ryan
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His compositions have frequently been performed and broadcast in New Zealand and abroad, most recently by Resonance Ensemble, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, the Canterbury Philharmonia, and orchestras from the Christchurch School of Music.
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His Saxophone Concerto, with stellar saxophonist Alice Morgan, along with a brief Fanfare written in honour of New Zealand composer, John Ritchie, were featured in Resonance's Matariki concert in June. As a teacher Tony led the performing arts at Linwood College for more than thirty years followed by several years working in Kenya and Singapore. Tony also writes on matters of musical interest – check out his website.
Soprano: Helen Charlton
Helen Charlton is an experienced Christchurch-based singer, performing regularly as a soloist and choral director. Born and raised in Christchurch, she attended Linwood High School for her senior years, and graduated from Canterbury University with a music degree majoring in Performance Singing, and Massey University with a Graduate Diploma in Secondary School Teaching.
Helen has extensive performing experience, and she has a passion for education through singing. Her time is divided between teaching voice, conducting school choirs, and directing The Canterbury Westland Branch Lawyers’ Choir.
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However, performing with Resonance Orchestra and her former music teacher has a special place in her heart.
Leader: Cornelia Didenco
Cornelia was born in Moldova, one of the ex-Soviet Union republics and is a graduate of the Moldavian State Conservatorium. She has more than 30 years’ experience teaching and for most of that time has also played in symphony orchestras in both Moldova and New Zealand. During her time in the Moldavian Symphony Orchestra she performed at the Sala Verdi in La Scala, and at other prestigious venues in Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and Romania.
After emigrating to New Zealand, she joined the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and has also appeared as a soloist and in chamber groups, and as the leader of Resonance Ensemble. Since joining the CSO she has toured with them to Japan and has performed with celebrities such as Diana Krall, Cliff Richard, George Benson, Serj Tankian, and Andrea Bocelli.