Animateur Rachel Leach with the NZSO Photo: Phoebe Tuxford/NZSO
For the past couple of decades, composer and music educator Rachel Leach has been designing and leading education projects with orchestras and opera companies around the UK.
She’s come out to Aotearoa as guest presenter, or animateur, for a series of children's concerts with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,
She spoke with Bryan Crump about what her role as an animateur involves.
"I like to think of myself, when I'm on stage, as being the... interpreter between what's going on within the orchestra and what's going on in the audience," she says.
"And my job is to break it down and make it accessible, take away any elitism."
"And when I'm in the classroom... I'm doing exactly the same but from a hands-on perspective - so I'm getting children to interact with the music by doing it."
