New Director of Music looking forward to Air Force in concert
Flight Lieutenant David Gallaher, who started his working life as a primary school teacher and fell into music directing by accident, is about to experience his first big concert as the newly appointed Director of Music for the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band.
Flight Lieutenant Gallaher, who lives in Trentham, will be in control of the band’s popular annual Air Force in Concert in the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on 6 October.
The 65-member band is made up of New Zealand Defence Force Reservists, many of whom are active in Wellington’s music scene.
This year’s Air Force in Concert will feature a range of musical styles, from John Williams to John Farnham, and from Sousa to Puccini, led by outstanding vocalists Leading Aircraftmen Barbara Graham and Stephanie Paris. Talented piper Flight Sergeant Murray Mansfield will get the feet stomping with some Celtic melodies, while the band’s Drumline are promising dramatic innovation on last year’s electrifying performance.
Flight Lieutenant Gallaher is delighted his first big concert as Director of Music is in the Michael Fowler Centre. He has always liked large venues with excellent acoustics, so having the chance to move the Air Force Band’s annual concert was an easy decision.
“After four years in the smaller Opera House and St James Theatre, I think it’s time we moved back to Wellington’s premier concert venue,” he said.
After attending St Paul’s High School and Otago University in Dunedin, Flight Lieutenant Gallaher started a career as a primary school teacher in Southland.
“The Department of Education needed a brass teacher/ band director for several high schools in the region and there was nobody in the region with the necessary skills or availability. So I began learning on the job! “
Then he became a music conductor by accident.
“I was working with a school group and someone passed the comment that I should pursue music directing in earnest,” he said
“I was very fortunate to work with some wonderful musicians, such as Ken Smith, Mervyn Waters, Peter Swartz and Professor John Ritchie, who mentored me along the way.”
After a distinguished music career in this country, which included touring Europe with the National Band of New Zealand in 2005, he was inducted as a Member into the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2010 for services to music and moved to Australia soon after.
While there he worked as Director of Music at St Joseph’s College, in Geelong. However, when the RNZAF Band Director of Music position became available earlier this year he couldn’t resist the chance to move his family back to New Zealand, to start a new era leading one of only two professional symphonic bands in New Zealand.
“The opportunity to conduct the best symphonic band in New Zealand was too tempting to pass on,” he said.
“The band is full of brilliant musicians, with skills across orchestral, band, jazz and contemporary genres, who aspire to perform at the highest levels of musicianship.
“Returning to New Zealand had been in our minds for the past couple of years and the opportunity to give back to New Zealand music through the RNZAF Band presented a wonderful opportunity.”
The Air Force in Concert will be held in the Michael Fowler Centre on Saturday, 6 October at 2:30pm. Tickets from Ticketmaster.
