Dunedin is in for something truly special this year.
We’re proud to celebrate composer Kenneth Young, one of New Zealand’s most
performed and respected composers, as he unveils a brand new work written especially for the St Kilda Brass Band 125th Celebration.
Across more than 40 years, Ken’s music has been commissioned and performed by the NZSO, APO, Chamber Music New Zealand, regional orchestras throughout Aotearoa, and ensembles across Australia, Europe, and the United States. His recent premieres include Invocation and In Paradisum for the APO, Symphony No. 3 for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Woolston Brass, and a Piano Trio for NZTrio. Many of his works have been recorded, including the acclaimed Shadows and Light album featuring the NZSO with Ken conducting.
Ken’s connection to brass runs deep — he grew up in the brass band movement, later becoming Principal Tuba of the NZSO before shifting to a full-time career in composition and conducting. He has led orchestras throughout New Zealand and Australia, worked with major ballet companies, and spent three decades teaching composition, conducting, and orchestration at the New Zealand School of Music. In 2004, he received the Lilburn Trust Citation for outstanding services to New Zealand music.
His new work for St Kilda Brass, “Celebration Suite”, draws on two Scottish folk songs that honour Dunedin’s earliest settlers and our enduring ties to Edinburgh and the Scottish Islands. It’s a musical tribute to our city’s heritage and to 125 years of St Kilda Brass.
The world premiere of Celebration will take place on 9 August 2026— a milestone moment for the band, for Dunedin, and for New Zealand brass music.