Photo credit: William Hall


So, Leonard, tell us a little bit about how you got into conducting?

I would say that conducting found me. While in secondary school, I composed a few ensemble pieces and was told that the group would perform them if I was conducting. So, I was introduced to the fundamentals of conducting and made my “debut” without having really had that goal in mind. Then while studying for my BMus, I was fortunate to perform with various amateur orchestras that supported giving me some conducting opportunities. Increasingly I found – and still find – that I enjoyed conducting as a unique way of creating music, in terms of both my individual artistic practise and the opportunity to work with other musicians. Nothing can beat the elation we feel on stage as we share music with our community.

Do you have a favourite work, composer, or style of composition that you love to conduct?

I’m increasingly passionate about new music. It’s always interesting to present music that is unfamiliar to audiences – or to musicians – while finding a way to make that experience interesting and relatable. I wouldn’t single out a single composer as my “favourite” but there are certainly a few whose works I continually want to explore, such as Rimsky-Korsakov. That said, music for me is all about telling a story, so to perform our classic tale of Badjelly the Witch is going to be great fun!

You're well underway with your residency in New Zealand now - how has the experience been for you so far?

This is a truly amazing opportunity and I’m enjoying it immensely. It is rare to have multiple organisations collaborate on one shared position, so I am humbled knowing that I inherently have some support from the orchestras and musicians across NZ. Of course, that trust comes with expectations – I’m glad to be in an environment where the bar is set high every week, facilitating and inspiring a constant desire for me to improve.

What are you looking forward to the most for the rest of the residency?

Currently I’m most excited by the CSO! Having visited Christchurch to assist Chief Conductor Ben Northey a few months ago, I am overjoyed to return this week and strengthen my connection with the musicians and with this gorgeous city. (Having grown up in Canberra, Australia, Christchurch feels quite a bit like home.)

With lots of terrific repertoire coming up for me and a variety of incredible guest conductors to learn from, I can’t pick just one! I am learning a great deal from APO Music Director Giordano Bellincampi who is currently in Auckland, and I am already looking forward to his return in November. Among my upcoming APO programs, I’m interested to conduct my first film in concert later this year, which is new territory for me, and I am honoured to conduct the APO’s 2023 Season Lauch. Before then I will visit the NZSO to assist Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New with Hilary Hahn, which will be incredible; and the DSO to assist Umberto Clerici. Now that I put that all in writing, it will be a busy few months…! But I am energised by the scope of this residency and looking forward to working with great friends and colleagues across the country.

Would you rather forget your baton or your concert shoes for a gig?

Definitely my baton! (I actually did wear wildly mis-matching shoes to work once; at least if I omit a baton, it could be presumed that was intentional…)

Any other thoughts for our CSO fans?

Just that I am proud of how the CSO plays a vital role in the local and national arts landscape. There are many larger cities in Australia, or throughout the US where I studied, that don’t have a local orchestra like this – or if they do, it is one built around a few occasional concerts a year, as opposed to core positions like in the CSO. The incredible passion and talent of the CSO musicians (and management, for that matter) enriches the music scene at every level, from the flagship town hall performances and strong education/outreach programmes, through to the instrumental teaching of beginner musicians. Having this depth and breadth of musical activity in Christchurch is a huge win and that is part of why it is such a joy for me to share in performances like this.

BONUS Q: Have you tried any of the following Kiwiana Foodie Faves (L&P, Lolly Cake, Pineapple Lumps, 'Kiwi Onion Dip', Whittaker's Chocolate) and what did you think of them?

This is really embarrassing – I haven’t yet! I’m enjoying my collection of kiwifruit, and I tried tamarillos this week. Very open to suggestions of NZ natives that I should grow on my balcony beyond my current Blechnum fern.

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Funded by Creative New Zealand, and managed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO), the New Zealand Assistant Conductor-in-Residence represents a collaboration between the APO, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Dunedin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) to nurture the careers of emerging Australasian conductors.

Don't miss Leonard Weiss' podium debut with the CSO tomorrow at Badjelly the Witch & Other Favourites.

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