Term 3 highlights: KBB debuts, a national award, and what's next 🎻

Sep 3

6 min read

🌸 Spring Newsletter 2026

Catch up with the latest news from Tironui Music Trust – a big Term 3 for our ākonga, and plenty still to come in Term 4.

🎶 KBB Music Festival – Our Festival Debut

On Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 August, Tironui ensembles took the stage at the KBB Music Festival for the very first time. Monday saw a Chamber Orchestra of Papatoetoe High School string students, directed by Lena Soonyeon Park, at St Mary's-in-Holy-Trinity, and the Tironui Youth Orchestra, conducted by Rod Skipp in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Our Tironui Concert Band, conducted by Richar Marin Hidalgo, then followed on Tuesday, again at the stunning Holy Trinity Cathedral.

Between our ensembles, our students represented 18 different schools from right across Auckland – many performing at a festival of this scale for the very first time. Huge thanks to Michael Joel, Warwick Robinson and the whole KBB Festival committee and volunteer team for such a beautifully run week, with over 5,000 students and 166 groups.

The festival week kept going beyond our main debuts too – Papatoetoe High School's Stage Band featured several Tironui students on Thursday 13 August, and scholar Ella Kwan-Him (Cello) performed as part of the Honours Festival Programme the following day, and received our certificates for participation on Saturday at the Gala Concert.

🙌 Huge thanks to our students, tutors, parents, whānau, partner schools, collaborative organisations, board, donors, funders and everyone who has supported the Tironui Music Trust to get to where we are now. Moments like Monday night feel like incredible milestones, and we know how much hard work goes into creating them. We appreciate you ALL 👏

We are so proud of how far our young musicians have come in such a short time 🤩 And it is so exciting to know that this is just the beginning. The future is definitely bright ✨

More photos of all the ensembles available on the links (in the orange boxes) below:

📸: Deane Cohen Photography

Tironui Youth Orchestra Photos

Tironui Concert Band Photos

Papatoetoe High School Chamber Photos

🏆 Spirit of the Festival Award

Back in June, our newest ensemble made its national debut. The Tironui Concert Band – together for just one term – travelled to the New Zealand Concert Band Association Festival in Cambridge and came home with the Spirit of the Festival Award and a Bronze award for their performance.

Huge thanks to Richar Marin Hidalgo, also Music Director of our friends at Manukau Concert Band, for his leadership of the ensemble – and to every whānau member who travelled down to cheer them on.

Auckland Phil Partnership: Front Row and Side-by-Side

– A Tironui ensemble had the very special opportunity to perform in the Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber ahead of the Auckland Philharmonia concert featuring cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason on 12 August. Our students, board members and tutors then stayed for the fantasic concert, featuring Elgar's Cello Concerto and Sibelius' 5th Symphony.

– As part of the pre-concert performance, two of our Hugo Charitable Trust scholars – 11-year-old violinists Patchara Khamphawa and Samaira – performed the Bach Double Violin Concerto, and Faith Fili gave a moving solo viola rendition of Träumerei.

– On 19 August, students from Papatoetoe High School and other partner schools joined Auckland Phil players for a side-by-side session at Play In South, Due Drop Events Centre.

– Earlier in July, students from Papatoetoe High School took a trip to Auckland Town Hall for Symphony Uncovered: Mozart 39. This also featured amazing violinist Benjamin Beilman 🎻 who also took part in a Q&A with the students.

– Looking ahead, Tironui Youth Orchestra members will take part in Auckland Phil's Community Bash this Sunday 6 September at Auckland Town Hall – an afternoon of large-scale music-making open to instrumentalists and singers of all ages and abilities.

🙌 Huge thanks to the Auckland Phil Learn & Participate team for continuing to open these doors for our students.

🎶 Whau Pasifika Festival: Play Along, Sing Along

In July, Tironui Music Trust joined Sistema Aotearoa and string players from across West Auckland for the Play Along, Sing Along event as part of the Whau Pasifika Festival at Kelston Boys' High School. This was a pop-up orchestra and choir experience open to musicians and singers of every level, alongside Auckland Gospel Choir (who have recently won Gold in the World Choir Games in Sweden) and Kelston Boys' High School Choir.

We spent the afternoon workshops working on pieces drawing on Samoan and Tongan musical traditions, all culminating in a lively evening of music-making with a public sharing performance – with whānau sitting in amongst the orchestra.

Huge thanks to Ina Patisolo, Seumanu Simon Matafai, Whau Pasifika Festival and all who made this such a memorable event.

📸: Captured by Roberta

🎓 Student Successes

Huge congratulations to all our scholarship students who have recently completed ABRSM Music Grade Examinations 🙌

– Cody Bacsal – Grade 3 Violin, Merit

– Haven Concepcion – Grade 3 Violin, Distinction

– Angela Tiumalu – Grade 3 Snare Drum, Distinction

– Moriyyah Talamaivao-Tagaloamatua – Grade 4 Viola, Merit

– Natasha Isaia – Grade 4 Violin, Merit

– Shekinah Togomana – Grade 4 Violin

– Esther Park – Grade 5 Theory, Distinction

– Shekinah-Glory Enoka-Robertson – Grade 5 Saxophone

– Samaira Ahmed – Grade 5 Violin, Distinction

– Patchara Khamphawa – Grade 5 Violin, Distinction

And congratulations to Tomasi Latai (Year 10, Bass Trombone), selected for the National Secondary Schools Brass Band Development Band course in Christchurch, running 29 September – 3 October, with course fees supported by the Trust. Tomasi is one of our 80 fully funded scholarship students!

💬 In Their Words

“To the people that make Tironui possible, from the bottom of my heart, I genuinely love you. I am so proud to be part of that programme, I’m so proud to tell people that I am in Tironui, that I have a scholarship. I’m just really grateful for you.”

— Natasha, Violin Scholar

“This impact radiates across our entire school; younger students watch their peers perform and dream of becoming Tironui musicians themselves. Tironui Trust does far more than provide music lessons—they foster equity, character, and community connection.”

— Theresa Hicks, Deputy Principal, Stanhope Road School

“Being part of the Tironui Music Programme has fostered both a passion for music and essential life skills in our tamariki. The experience has enriched our school community who regularly enjoy our performances and our students have also thrived and enjoyed the Tironui Music Trust holiday programmes.”

— Fia Salesa, Deputy Principal, Bailey Road School

🎙️ On the Radio: Rod on RNZ Concert

Our General Manager Rod Skipp featured on RNZ Concert's Three to Seven on 11 August, talking to Bryan Crump (a Papatoetoe High School alumni) about Tironui's mission to make learning a classical instrument affordable for young Aucklanders. Listen to the full interview on RNZ Concert.

Listen on RNZ Here

🎥 String Together

Relive our String Together weekend from March – a special collaboration with Kāhui St David's, NZTrio, University of Auckland School of Music and Sistema Aotearoa, culminating in a full-house finale performance. ▶ Watch on YouTube

🎥 Conan Fitzpatrick

Coming Up This Term

Friday 4 September – Coaching Session with Helene Pohl & Rolf Gjelsten with our string students at Papatoetoe High School. Helene and Rolf are performing the Brahms Double Concerto with Wairua Sinfonietta on Sunday 6th September. Tickets and more info here: https://events.humanitix.com/ws-fromsparktosoul

Sunday 6 September – Auckland Phil Community Bash: Tironui Youth Orchestra members join around 300 Aucklanders for an afternoon of large-scale music-making at Auckland Town Hall.

Saturday 19 September – Manukau Concert Band Whānau Concert: developing the whānau concert concept with a workshop for our students, led by Richar Marin Hidalgo, and a 3pm free concert at Puhinui School.

Saturday 19 September – Ōtara Music Festival: including Tironui young musicians, by invitation from Sistema Aotearoa.

Tuesday 29 September – Thursday 1 October – Tironui Holiday Programme: for our Junior and Intermediate musicians, at Papatoetoe High School. The 2pm finale performance will also feature our Tironui Youth Orchestra and Concert Band.

Late November (date TBC) – Scholar's Showcase #3: our annual scholars' showcase concert.

December (date TBC) – End of Year Performances: across our 9 partner schools.

Since January, our ākonga have taken part in 28 of the 37 performances and events on our 2026 calendar. See the full year so far on our 2026 Performance Calendar Web App.

View our 2026 Performance Calendar

🎻 Would You Like Us to Perform at Your Event?

Our ensembles – from the Tironui Youth Orchestra and Concert Band through to smaller chamber groups – are often asked to perform at community, corporate and charity events. If you're planning an event and would like some of Auckland's most promising young musicians to take part, we'd love to hear from you.

Get in touch to find out more