Here at Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, we are proud of the multi-faceted musicians that make up our orchestra. Each has their own unique hobbies and endeavours that add a richness and delightful complexity to our music making. Humans of CSO, offers a small glimpse into the lives of our people and the activities that shape them into individuals who are more than their music.

With Te Wiki Tiaki Ao Tūroa (Conservation Week) being celebrated this week (5-11 September 2022), it’s the perfect opportunity to sit down first with our Associate Principal Horn, Bernard Shapiro (currently Acting Principal Horn) for a kōrero about his conservation work and how it has shaped him into the person he is today.

Bernie, tell us a little bit about yourself and the special slice of Banks Peninsula land you call home.

Besides music, the New Zealand rural lifestyle has been a major part of my life. From engaging in long-range walking expeditions to gold prospecting to being a High-Country Rabbit Controller, possum trapper, deer stalker, and generally in awe of anything below the snowline.

The Upper Western Valley area of Banks Peninsula is almost completely set aside in private holdings with conservation covenants, with no real amenities, such as curbside collection, postal deliveries, sewers, or drainage, but is surrounded by native bush and populated by incredibly diverse, friendly neighbours who have created a frankly amazing community.

What sparked your interest in conservation work?

I spent six months in the Kahurangi wilderness, and while I was 'bush', I got to know the moods, fauna, flora and weather as much as I know the William Tell Overture's 3rd Horn part! The bush sheltered me, fed me and inspired me, and I resolved to 'pay it back' someday.

Why is the conservation of Aotearoa's native flora and fauna important to you?

A clean environment feeds everybody and everything around you inside and out. If we all spent a small amount of time looking after it, the rewards are huge. We get cleaner air, cleaner water, louder birdsong, geckos in the basil trays, Kereru nicking off with the fruit tree blossoms, Bellbirds - who are basically just the soccer hooligans of the bush - swearing at you as you pass and Fantails landing on your head, the cheeky devils.

Since we started looking after where we live out here, we've seen a five-fold growth in flora with species returning such as horopito and cabbage trees suddenly popping up everywhere due to seeds being "delivered" by bird populations. Last year we had millions of Red Admiral butterflies due to encouraging ongaonga (stinging nettle), a vital bush for their life cycle.

What is the easiest first step someone new to conservation could do to get started?

That's easy as pie! Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and pick up rubbish when you see it. You don't have to get it all, but just picking up one bottle, or a wrapper, rather than ignoring it makes a world of difference! You can always wash your hands afterwards, and it feels good to do.

The other thing you can do is as simple as a quick google on food sources for native birds and then go out to a garden store and plant something in the backyard. Conservation really gets going when you start asking 'how/why/what/where' questions.

How do you think conservation work has influenced/enriched your music-making?

My conservation work has encouraged me to be more efficient with my practice, scheduling multiple half-hour spurts of practice a day amongst my conservation activities such as tightening boundary fencing wire, clearing traps, maintaining tracks, and conducting invertebrate and bird number surveys.

I've learned not to waste time on the little stuff, but to see the bigger picture, and to give myself a moment or two to enjoy the view: whether it's on stage or up the mountain tops.

Because of what I'm discovering out here, music's no longer just a job. It's a beautiful thing to watch and listen to - especially when the audience is so 'in the zone' that they're frozen in their seats. Just like watching a patch of bush enduring a storm, there's something utterly mesmerising about what's happening between an orchestra in full flight and its audience. We're connected and all part of what's happening, and that's just magic. You can miss that if you're simply going through the motions.

And lastly, what are your top-3 favourite NZ Native species?

South Island Robin - these fearless birds will come right up to you if you turn over a rock, use your boot as a viewing platform, and can end up in your hand if you're still and patient enough. They're also a major indicator that the bush is relatively pest-free!

Ruru/Morepork - there's nothing as quintessentially 'Rural New Zealand' as the special, quiet moment when you hear one of these plucky little fellows distantly roaring from the black. With a bit of practice, you can whistle them right up to you. We've had them peering in at us from our deck's handrail and even flying low over our heads in a territorial response to some idiot ruining their nightly hunts with a mimic 'morepork' whistle.

Kowhai - this tree goes through so many seasonal changes, you can set your watch by them! They can be utterly denuded by native caterpillars (who drop silk cocoons everywhere - looks amazing on a dewy morning), be hanging strange seed pods, be smothered in delicately-full leaf or, as now in Spring, be defying our ochre tan and green forest with a wildly inappropriate splash of garish yellow. For a forest lad such as myself, they're the 'safety vest' of the bush. They let me know the sun is on its way!

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Catch Bernard Shapiro performing this Saturday in our Lamb & Hayward Masterworks ‘Verdi Requiem’ concert 7:30pm Saturday 10 September.

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