Orchestral man hoovers in the dark

Reza Fuard hopes to make beautiful music with his Volta. Photo / Doug Sherring

Reza Fuard is no musician, and his audition for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra will suck. He is among members of the public vying to perform with the orchestra by playing vacuum cleaners.

Four people are needed to help perform A Grand, Grand Overture, a piece written for orchestra, organ, four rifles, three vacuums and a floor polisher.

"I've never been lucky enough to have any training in a musical instrument, so I thought what better chance, playing a vacuum, something I've played for a while," said Fuard.

Hopefuls will wield their appliances at the orchestra's Auckland headquarters, before a panel headed by artistic planning manager Antony Ernst.

Ernst said the eight-minute overture, written by Malcolm Arnold and first performed in 1956, was "self-consciously silly".

"All you have to do is have the right vacuum cleaner and be able to turn it on and off," Ernst said.

Clare Barone, 32, will also attend today's try-outs. She hasn't bothered practising her technique, but would "probably change the bag, just to be polite".

Fuard is confident of cleaning up as his Volta vacuum has a secret weapon: "One of those dials which changes the power, so I have a kind of musical feature."

The piece will be performed in the Last Night of the Proms, at Auckland's Aotea Centre on November 28.