In a rousing start, local music students showcase what they have been learning at the Turn up the Music Trust community music programme.

The focus then shifts to a programme by multi-talented cellist Damon Herlihy-O’Brien and pianist William Sun. Damon is one of New Zealand's most exciting young performers whose musical ability covers classical through to contemporary music and cello to drums. The first movement of Prokofiev’s Cello Sonata is the perfect vehicle for Damon to demonstrate the sonorous beauty and versatility of the cello, while two movements from Bach’s Cello Suite will showcase unexpected attributes of both the cello and Damon’s artistic maturity: jazz cellist Mark Summers’ stylish twist of a traditional carol in a contemporary style, and local composer Martin Lodge’s Epitaph in Memoriam Douglas Lilburn that shows the cello’s ethereal qualities.

Charismatic viola player Tal Amoore takes the stage, accompanied by Otis Prescott-Mason to perform seven movements of Prokofiev’s popular ‘Romeo and Juliet” orchestral suite arranged for viola and piano. As these short pieces explore the doomed love story through a series of musical vignettes, they will perfectly show off Tal’s virtuosity in a lively performance.

The concert concludes with a luscious Quartet for piano, clarity, violin and cello from Viennese composer Walter Rabl at the twilight of the romantic era performed Festival artists Ioana Cristina Goicea, Julian Smiles, Stephen De Pledge, and emerging artist Marlon Sullivan weaving the instruments together in an uplifting end to sparkling concert.