Chinese prodigy cellist pulls out of Auckland Philharmonia concert

Chinese Cellist Liwei Qin has pulled out of Thursday's Auckland Philharmonia's Town Hall concert where the 26-year-old prodigy was to have played under the baton of Vladimir Verbitsky.

While disappointing, his loss is Victoria Simonsen's (pictured) gain.

This year's New Zealand Young Musician of the Year, 19-year-old Simonsen is a bit of a prodigy herself.

She began her music studies at Auckland University when she was 16 and is in the final year of her Bachelor of Music Performance degree.

She is principal cellist with the National Youth Orchestra and has won numerous competitions.

Her composition City won the Philharmonia's Young Composer's Competition in 1999.

On Thursday she will join the orchestra in playing Elgar's Cello Concerto, Shostakovich's Symphony No 11, and American maverick composer Alan Hovhaness' And God Created Great Whales - poignant given the negative outcome of last week's International Whaling Commission vote.

This week the Philharmonia will also start a repeat of last year's successful daytime concerts, with two concerts on Friday at the Town Hall.

Fronting Up (10.30am) features music by the above composers, as well as introductory chats by Verbitsky, Simonsen and members of the orchestra, while Music to Munch by (12.30pm) is exactly what it says.