From Orpheus Scholar to the Royal Academy of Music
When conductor and composer Luka Venter (they/them) leaves Aotearoa later this year to begin a Master of Arts in Orchestral Conducting at London’s Royal Academy of Music, they will carry with them experiences gathered across opera houses, orchestras and concert stages in New Zealand and overseas.
Some of the foundations of that journey were laid much closer to home, as an Orpheus Scholar.
Luka joined Orpheus while studying voice and composition at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, where they trained with Margaret Medlyn, Richard Greager and composer Michael Norris. Over approximately three years with the choir, they took part in major symphonic works alongside the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Wellington, working with internationally renowned conductors including Pietari Inkinen and Nicholas McGegan.
At the time, Luka was beginning a professional life as a singer. They went on to perform with New Zealand Opera, Wellington Opera and Orchestra Wellington, while also building their practice as a composer. Gradually, however, this musical path began moving towards conducting.
Looking back, Luka now recognises that the years with Orpheus played a significant role in that transition.
“Standing there, having the force of the orchestra physically below me and seeing the conductor from that perspective had such an impact,” they say. “I think I always carried those experiences with me.”
They particularly remember performing major works such as Haydn’s Creation and Verdi’s Requiem. These were not simply opportunities to sing remarkable repertoire. They gave a developing musician direct experience of how a large choir, orchestra, soloists and conductor work together to create something far greater than their individual parts.
For Luka, the effect accumulated over time.
“I was in the choir for a few years, so the impact wasn’t all at once. It gradually sifted through the layers of who I am.”
This is precisely the opportunity the Orpheus Scholars programme seeks to provide. By welcoming talented emerging singers into the choir, the programme gives young musicians sustained exposure to professional orchestras, conductors, soloists and large-scale repertoire. Scholars contribute their energy and musicianship to Orpheus while gaining practical experiences that can shape their confidence, networks and future careers.
Luka’s journey demonstrates how far that influence can travel.
Since Luka’s Orpheus years, they have served as Assistant Conductor with Orchestra Wellington, completed the NZSO Conducting Fellowship and worked as a conducting fellow with New Zealand Opera. Overseas, Luka has undertaken specialist training and worked with organisations including the Royal Ballet and Opera.
They will now become only the second New Zealander accepted into the Royal Academy of Music’s highly selective orchestral conducting programme, which admits just two conductors internationally each year.
Although Luka’s ambitions are international, their longer-term vision remains firmly connected to Aotearoa. Luka hopes to return with the skills, experience and relationships needed to contribute to the future of orchestral and operatic music here.
“I’m ambitious to get to the highest levels that I can and then bring things back here and really make an impact,” Luka says.
Before leaving, Luka is presenting *birdsong + orange sunrise*, a concert featuring a chamber orchestra made up largely of NZSO musicians, alongside performers from Orchestra Wellington and Stroma, and soprano Barbara Paterson.
The programme includes Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, Haydn’s Symphony No. 59, the “Fire” Symphony, and the New Zealand premiere of Ihlara McIndoe’s curio.
The concert is also a fundraiser to help Luka meet the substantial tuition and living costs associated with studying in London. It offers the rare opportunity to hear their work from the other side of the podium, and to support a former Orpheus Scholar as they take an extraordinary next step.
*birdsong + orange sunrise*
Saturday 8 August
St Peter’s on Willis, Wellington
Get your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/birdsong-orange-sunrise-luka-venter