Brent Stewart
– Artistic Director

Brent is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most versatile and wide-ranging musicians, with a career that spans orchestral, choral, operatic, theatrical, contemporary, educational, and cross-genre music-making. A conductor, percussionist, pianist, producer, and arranger, he brings a rare breadth of experience to his work, alongside a strong commitment to artistic excellence, creative programming, and meaningful connection with audiences.

Known for performances that are thoughtful, vivid, and deeply engaging, Brent has built a reputation for bringing clarity, energy, and imagination to a wide range of repertoire. His work is grounded in a deep respect for the classical tradition, while also reflecting a genuine curiosity for new music, New Zealand stories, and fresh ways of presenting orchestral performance. His approach is collaborative, practical, and intensely musical, helping performers and audiences alike feel the immediacy and relevance of the music.

For Opus Orchestra, Brent’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter. He is particularly passionate about the role of regional orchestras as vital musical forces: bringing exceptional performances to their communities, supporting local and national artists, and creating concert experiences that feel immediate, generous, and connected. This perspective aligns closely with Opus Orchestra’s identity as an orchestra with strong connections across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Brent’s experience, musical range, and audience-focused approach will help shape the orchestra’s artistic direction through 2026 and beyond.

Brent has worked with many of Aotearoa’s leading arts organisations, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Orchestra Wellington, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and New Zealand Opera. He was appointed Orchestra Wellington’s first intern assistant conductor under Marc Taddei and continues to work regularly with the orchestra, both as a conductor and as Section Principal Timpanist.

Since 2014, Brent has been Music Director of Orpheus Choir Wellington, where he has led the choir through a period of significant artistic and organisational growth. Under his direction, Orpheus has become known for large-scale, emotionally charged performances that combine choral power with theatrical impact and musical precision. Highlights have included Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Poulenc’s Gloria, and many major collaborations with Orchestra Wellington and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The choir now regularly fills concert halls and has the largest membership in its history.

A committed champion of New Zealand composers, Brent has premiered numerous orchestral, choral, and percussion works. In 2007, he gave the premiere of Karlo Margetic’s Xylophone Concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, later recording the work as soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked closely with composers including Claire Cowan, Lucy Mulgan, Dame Gillian Whitehead, and Takerei Komene. Recent highlights include conducting the New Zealand premiere of Lucy Mulgan’s Red! with New Zealand Opera, the world premiere of Dame Gillian Whitehead’s Ngā Whetū o Matariki with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and Takerei Komene’s powerful E Kiwi E with Wellington Brass Band and Orpheus Choir Wellington, honouring the 28th Māori Battalion.

Brent’s musical life also extends well beyond the traditional concert platform. He has conducted Synthony, a fusion of electronic dance music and symphony orchestra, including performances at Electric Avenue and on a floating platform at Marina Bay, Singapore. He has worked with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra alongside Benee for Benee Live with the NZSO, and has conducted Mana Moana, an energetic and moving fusion of orchestra and songs of the Pacific with Signature Choir. That project brought together traditional and contemporary music from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, and the Cook Islands, and included an award-winning recording now available on major platforms.

His work in opera and music theatre is equally wide-ranging. Brent’s musical directorship highlights include productions of Beauty and the Beast, Cavalleria Rusticana, Chicago, Les Misérables, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, and West Side Story. He has also worked with New Zealand Opera and Royal New Zealand Ballet, including as assistant conductor for Claire Cowan’s Cinderella and as Assistant Producer for the NZSO’s recording of her ballet Hansel & Gretel. He is also New Zealand Opera’s Friedlander Foundation Associate Artist.

Education and mentoring have been central to Brent’s career. He was Head of Music at Wellington East Girls’ College from 2010 to 2020, where he led the school choir Cantala to international success, including first place at the Summa Cum Laude Youth International Music Festival in Vienna. He continues to work with young musicians through workshops, mentoring, adjudication, and national ensembles. Since 2013, he has been Assistant Conductor and Pianist for the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, supporting some of the country’s finest young singers through national and international tours, recordings, and intensive performance projects.

Brent is also highly regarded as a percussionist and timpanist. As Orchestra Wellington’s Section Principal Timpanist, he is a key member of the orchestra, and he has undertaken freelance percussion work with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, and Dunedin Symphony Orchestra. His career as a percussionist has also taken him internationally, including multiple seasons of The Phantom of the Opera in Japan.

As a pianist, Brent is in regular demand as a collaborator, accompanist, and rehearsal musician. His work with the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir has taken him throughout New Zealand and overseas, including tours to Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China. He has also accompanied at major national competitions, including the Gisborne International Music Competition and the National Concerto Competition.

Beyond live performance, Brent has worked as a producer and arranger across recording and screen projects. He recently served as an orchestral recording producer for Nickelodeon’s Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, and arranged music for the New Zealand feature film Tinā.

Opus Orchestra looks forward to working with Brent as Artistic Director. His musical imagination, breadth of experience, commitment to New Zealand artists, and belief in the power of regional orchestras make him an exciting artistic leader for this next chapter in the orchestra’s story.