Yesterday afternoon the church echoed with the musical ability of four young violinists, selected to compete for a taste of the big time next month.
Summer school artistic director Kevin Lefohn said the school was run in association with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and one of the benefits of that partnership was yesterday's competition, which gave the winner given the opportunity to perform with the orchestra at the ASB Classical Sparks outdoor concert on February 5.
More than 100,000 people attended the concert each year, making it an incredibly special performance opportunity, Mr Lefohn said.
"Staff nominated four performers [as of Saturday], based on their performance to date.
"Any of those four would be able to play [with the orchestra] and should be given a chance to play.
"Given there is only one spot, choosing the winner was very difficult," he said.
Ultimately, it was 16-year-old Esther Kim, of Auckland, who won the right to perform with the orchestra, following her impressive performance of Vieuxtemp's Violin Concerto No 5.
Esther had been playing the violin since she was 5 years old, but this was her first time at the summer school, an experience she was thoroughly enjoying, she said.
The school will run for the remainder of this week, with nightly concerts at St Peter's Church - entry is a gold coin donation - before the grand finale concert at Memorial Hall on Saturday at 8pm.
Tickets cost $15, with children under 12 free, available as door sales only
