Beethoven 250- First Event Announced for Auckland Arts Festival 2020

The Auckland Arts Festival is delighted to announce the first event for AAF 2020 – Auckland Arts Festival and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra are joining the worldwide celebrations marking Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2020 with a major series of concerts and events.

Beethoven 250 will be a fantastic festival within the Festival. The centrepiece will be the APO performing the complete cycle of nine Beethoven symphonies in four concerts over nine days, led by APO Music Director Maestro Giordano Bellincampi and culminating in a very special performance of the Ninth Symphony featuring New Zealand soloists Madeleine Pierard, Kristin Darragh, Amitai Pati and Teddy Tahu Rhodes.

In addition to the symphony cycle there will be a variety of exciting free and community events celebrating Beethoven’s legacy and connecting him to our city and our people. This includes Ludwig Reflected – a free chamber concert and speaker series featuring new Beethoven-inspired works by New Zealand composers and the chance to delve deeper into the fascinating life and times of Beethoven, a series of access and inclusion initiatives, and a community Big Play-In for musicians of all skill levels.

More information about the full programme of events will be available nearer the time.

The events comprising Beethoven 250 are presented by Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in association with Auckland Arts Festival and Auckland Live.

Tickets for the four concert series are on sale now.