Enchanted evening in store

Jonathan Lemalu will star at the eighth Starlight Symphony. Picture / Greg Bowker

Jonathan Lemalu is delighted to be back in New Zealand - it's a sight warmer than Chicago.

The Dunedin opera star, known as the "Pacific Jewel", has jetted in from the windy city to headline tonight's Starlight Symphony at Auckland Domain.

The bass baritone will perform several pieces, including Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific and Madamina from Mozart's Don Giovanni.

More than 200,000 people are expected to spread their blankets under the stars for an event promising a mix of popular symphonic and contemporary entertainment.

Mr Lemalu will be one of the main drawcards on a night which also features 17-year-old violinist Richard Chen and pop band Goldenhorse, while Shane Cortese and Nerida Lister will lead the waltz to The Blue Danube.

Other guaranteed crowd-pleasers include the laser light show, Pomp and Circumstance, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, the national anthem and Now is the Hour. Broadcasters John Campbell and Carol Hirschfeld are hosting the event.

The concert is free, but donations or money for a light stick will go to Variety's "Kids on the Move" mobility programme to provide children with equipment such as wheelchairs, specialised trikes, mobilised scooters and special chairs.

Megan McSweeney, from event organiser SkyCity, said Starlight Symphony was one of the country's largest free community performance events..

The concert starts at 7.45pm and is due to finish about 10.30pm. In the event of heavy rain, it will be on tomorrow at the same time.