Jamie Martin was 13 when he decided playing in a orchestra was what he wanted to do.
''There was no doubt in my mind.''
His first contact with live music was when he was 8, when his father took him to a symphony orchestra concert.
''As soon as the concert started I was in tears, I was so impressed with what I heard. The very next day I told my parents that I wanted to learn to play an instrument.''
He had hoped to learn the violin because he had seen so many violins in the orchestra, but unfortunately there was no violin teacher in the town of Santander in the north of Spain where he grew up.
''The choices were piano, guitar or flute, so I chose flute.''
Five years later, he was selected for the national youth orchestra, becoming its youngest player.
''Suddenly I was in very close contact with people at a much higher level than me and I couldn't believe it. Already at 13, playing with that orchestra, I knew this was what I wanted to do.''
He moved to Madrid to continue his studies with Antonio Arias when he was about 15.
''I went to a concert by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from Amsterdam. I heard this amazing flute player and wanted to study with him. So, when I was 18, I went to Holland to study flute.''
From there, he went on to a successful career as a flautist, including as principal flute of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
One of the highlights of his career playing the flute included his first solo at Carnegie Hall, when he was 18 or 19 years old.
''At that time for me it was the biggest thing I'd done.''
Other standout experiences included recording Mozart flute concertos with famous conductor Sir Neville Marriner.
''Also, one of the most incredible things was playing a Beethoven cycle with Nikolas Harnoncourt conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. That was definitely one of the highlights of my life, because I learned so much from him.''
His favourite music to play on the flute was Mozart.
''It's funny, because Mozart has famously said that he hated the flute, but I think he said that at a time when he was really stressed. It's impossible to believe that he hated the flute when you listen to the music he's written for it.''
In recent years he has moved away from playing the flute to conducting, after being offered the opportunity to conduct a youth orchestra, and from that other offers flowed.
''I was always fascinated by how an orchestra changes according to who is conducting. But although I was interested and curious about conducting, I never did anything practical about it like studying.''
The move towards conducting meant giving up his job with the Philharmonic and he missed his colleagues there.
''The challenge of being a new conductor is that much of the time the music I'm conducting is the first time for me, although I've played it many times in the orchestra.''
There was a lot of preparation involved and it was very hard work, he said.
''As well as knowing the score inside out you need to read a lot about the composers and the history and cultural environment of the time. But at the same time, I love doing that. It's something I always intended to do when I was a musician but never found the time.''
It has also meant adjusting to travelling alone rather than as part of a group.
''Not only that, every week I encounter a new group of people which is challenging too. I suppose I still have to learn to get used to it.''
One of the comments often made about conductors was how powerful they must feel, he said.
''But that's not what attracts me about it at all. When I'm conducting I feel free, free to make music the way I like it. It's not the power of being able to tell people what to do that interests me, but being able to make music the way I dream it.''
One of his conducting highlights, so far, has been leading his old orchestra.
''Conducting a group I knew so well and respected so much was very special. It's a really fantastic orchestra and I've conducted them many times since then.''
He was looking forward to his trip to New Zealand to conduct Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
The piece was controversial in its day with the audience throwing vegetables and other objects at the orchestra during the Paris premiere in 1913 in protest against the ''avant-garde'' nature of the music and choreography.
However, today it is widely considered one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century.
The NZSO tour will also feature Swedish cellist Jakob Koranyi who will play William Walton's Cello Concerto, while Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, featuring the violin of the NZSO's own concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen, will open the concert.
