Doctors swap white coat for instruments
If you’re a lover of classical music, put the weekend of November 10 and 11 in your diary.
That’s when members of the New Zealand Doctors Orchestra will be running a two-day open rehearsal of Schubert’s String Quintet in C Major at the Great Lake Centre. The public are invited to come along and listen for as long as they like and make a gold coin donation to Lake Taupo¯ Hospice.
This is the fourth year for this event and in the past it has been heavily supported by Taupo¯ residents, and in turn supporting a worthy cause — the Lake Taupo¯ Hospice.
The musicians involved will be Professor Philip Hazel (first violin and Professor of Child Psychiatry at Sydney University), Dr Louise Webster (psychiatrist, Starship Hospital, Auckland), Paul Van Houtte (fifth year medical student and professional cellist), Judith Gust (a viola player from Auckland who generally likes to avoid doctors) and Dr Peter Fleischl, a Taupo¯ GP.
Peter says the Schubert String Quintet in C Major is highly regarded and is arguably the most beautiful piece of chamber music ever written.
“With its charming free-flowing melodies, it is a piece of music that is widely adored by audiences from the very young, through to some very aged people with intact hearing.”
Peter says the orchestra will be rehearsing from 10am until 4pm on Saturday, November 10, with a lunch break at noon. On Sunday, November 11 it will rehearse from 10am, have a brief lunch break at noon, then a complete run-through at 1pm until about 1.30pm.
The orchestra is on the mezzanine level of the Great Lake Centre both days.