The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa has cancelled concerts in Invercargill and Dunedin in September due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The NZSO was to perform the concerts Town and Country and Peter and the Wolf at Invercargill’s Civic Theatre on 25 September and in Dunedin the two days before.

The concerts were part of the NZSO’s Setting Up Camp tour and were previously postponed from dates in March because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Television personality and entertainer Suzy Cato was set to narrate the family-friendly afternoon free performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless Peter and the Wolf, with Town and Country scheduled for the evening session. 

Advertisement: Money Talks

But due to their size, the concerts can only be performed to a live audience at Alert Level 1.

"The NZSO made the difficult decision to cancel the concerts as a return to Alert Level 1 is uncertain this month," a NZSO spokesperson said.

"We know that audiences in Invercargill will be disappointed that the Peter and the Wolf and Town and Country concerts will not go ahead.

"We are still determined to perform in Invercargill this year and your Orchestra is working hard to see if we can bring other concerts to the deep south before Christmas.

Advertisement: Kennedy School of Music

"We continue to be grateful for the patience and understanding of our audiences this year."

Tickets will be refunded via the ticketing agency, which will contact customers directly.

The NZSO has added South Island dates, which includes Dunedin on 7 November, for its hit Four Seasons tour–featuring performances of Vivaldi’s famous The Four Seasons and tango composer Astor Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

There's no word on extra Invercargill dates as yet, though.