So You Think Your Vacuum's Got Talent? APO Announces Open Auditions for Proms Concert

In another first for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, auditions will be held for owners of vintage vacuum cleaners and floor polishers in preparation for The Last Night of the Proms concert at the Aotea Centre, on 28 November.

 

The appliances, and their virtuoso operators, will be needed as soloists for the tongue-in-cheek composition A Grand, Grand Overture. Written by Oscar-winning British composer Malcolm Arnold, the playfully spirited 8-minute work requires a full symphony orchestra, an organ, three vacuum cleaners, a floor polisher and four rifles.

 

A Grand, Grand Overture premiered in 1956 and was heard recently in the BBC Proms at London’s Albert Hall, with a lineup of celebrities including Drum ‘n’ Bass star Goldie on the rifle and television presenter Sir David Attenborough on the floor polisher.

 

For The Last Night of the Proms concert, presented by Qantas, the APO hopes to find four gifted appliance soloists from the Auckland region keen to perform with a world-class symphony orchestra. The aspiring soloists will have to undergo auditions which will display their ability to operate the cleaning apparatus in time to a beat.

 

The auditions are open to anyone bearing either a vacuum cleaner or a floor polisher and will take place at the APO’s headquarters in Dominion Road, Mt Eden on Sunday 15 November, to face a panel headed by the APO’s Manager of Artistic Planning, Antony Ernst.

 

“Although these appliances aren’t part of the usual wind section,” says Mr Ernst, “we welcome the chances to see what hidden talent we can discover. As with any audition, we’ll be looking for quality and quantity of sound; and as with many musical instruments, a well-aged instrument is often better than a new one, so we encourage residents to plumb their attics and basements in case they have vacuum cleaners from the period still operational. Definitely, the noisier the vacuum cleaner, the better!“

 

The APO’s programme on 28th November will also feature more traditional Proms fare, including Rule, Brittania!, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem.

 

Those interested in showing off their vacuum and floor polishing skills can register to audition by emailing their details to apomarketing@apo.co.nz or by phoning 09 638 6266 before 4pm Thursday the 12th of November.