The Music of Magic and Machines

Royal New Zealand Navy Band able musician Aiden West is returning to Taupō to take part in two Winter Festival shows with the Taupō Concert Band.

By Chris Marshall

When she was coming up with a title for the Taupō Concert Band’s evening showcase during the Malcolm Flowers Insurances Taupō Winter Festival, conductor Monique Vossen says a theme soon became apparent.

With song titles like ‘Abracadabra’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘The Typewriter’, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ and ‘Extraordinary Machines of Clockwork and Steam’ the result was not surprising.

In ‘The Music of Magic and Machines’ the band presents 10 works including several purchased especially for the concert.

Vossen, a former principal flute of the Royal New Zealand Navy band, took over as conductor in 2025 and is also now conducting the Taupō Youth Windband.

Being able to bring promising youth players through to the higher-level adult group provides them with a great opportunity to learn alongside those more experienced, she says.

‘We have even more Taupō Youth Windband students onstage during the earlier matinee so there’s quite a youth focus in these two concerts.”

(In an afternoon concert the band will perform ‘The Sound of Movement’ along with young dancers from Dance Central.)

Band president Donovan Bixley says the ethos of the group is to provide musical opportunities by the community for the community.

“This has seen the band serve as a nurturing environment for local musicians with several of our young members going on to professional careers among the top players and composers in the country,” he says.

The concert will see several former members return to assist, he says, including Aiden West who is now into his second year in the RNZN band.

Vossen has also managed to cash in on a former playing connection to attract guest conductor James Bevin from the Bay Cities’ Symphonic Band who will take up the baton on a couple of pieces, allowing her to play flute, and perform on the bassoon when he’s not conducting.

The recent expansion of the band’s percussion section to four, including Neil Crispe on timpani, means a wider repertoire is available, says Vossen, and really allows the group to fulfil its aim for the concert overall which is to showcase the different sections of a modern band.

“From the loud hitty bits at the back to the power of the brass and the sweet woodwinds in the front, not that I’m biased,” she laughs.

‘The Music of Magic and Machines’ is in the Great Lake Centre Theatre at 7pm on Thursday, July 9 – with tickets available through Trybooking.

The Taupō Concert Band was assisted in the purchase of music by Creative Taupō and the show has received sponsorship from Lava Glass.