Martin Ryder has lived on Waiheke since 1992, apart from a few years overseas before returning in 2002. In November 2023, he experienced a traumatic brain injury that significantly changed his day-to-day life.
“I was laying about at home, really bored and not able to do much because I got tired very quickly,” he says. “An ad came up for the Waiheke Open Orchestra and I thought, ‘oh, that might be interesting’. On my discharge sheet there was a list of things you can do with a head injury, and this sort of thing was one of them. So I thought, ‘well, what’s the worst that can happen?’ I just went along and it turned out to be really, really good for me.”
The Waiheke Open Orchestra project got underway at the beginning of 2024 with support from Waiheke Local Board funding. Run by Waiheke Adult Learning (WAL), the orchestra is led by Musical Director Chris Orange and meets weekly at WAL to rehearse and build a diverse repertoire.
Martin joined when the orchestra was first established and has been a regular ever since.
“I’ve been pretty regular actually. I’ve only missed a few Sundays in the last couple of years,” he says. And with every ACC or WellNZ manager I’ve had, I’ve told them that the best thing that’s ever happened to me has been joining the orchestra.”
At first, he was unsure.
“I was quite tentative at first because, you know, I didn’t want to embarrass myself by fainting or do anything stupid. And I was also really scared because I hadn’t fiddled with an instrument for a long time because of the injury,” he says.
“But it was so low pressure and it was just okay to give it a go. There were obviously really good musicians there and some other people like me that were quite obviously quite terrible. It was just an okay environment to make mistakes and not do perfectly. You can play a bum note and everyone laughs.”
For Martin, the benefits have been both practical and social.
“It gets me out of the house and interacting with people. It’s the hand, eye, brain coordination thing, and also having to do a bit of homework, so you can’t just rock up,” he says. “I had all sorts of problems trying to read the sheets and it was a real struggle initially, but it’s got a lot easier. Now it’s just really the lack of talent that’s my main hassle!”
He plays an acoustic-electric bass guitar, a one-off instrument built by his brother-in-law. Before joining, he had only “tutūed a little bit” over the years and had never performed publicly.
Martin’s partner is also involved as a violinist in the orchestra. “It’s something that we I can do together,” he says. “She was brought up with music, being taught instruments and reading music and singing. So it was really good for her as well to get her violin out and get it going.”
The orchestra is open to all ages and abilities, currently ranging from 23 to 81 years old. Instruments span violin, cello, oboe, clarinet, flute, percussion, guitar, keyboard, trumpet and tenor horn. The group has performed at Waiheke Library as part of NZ Music Month, at the Waiheke Musical Museum, and closed out 2025 with a full-capacity performance at Palm Beach Hall.
The repertoire is wide ranging.
“Lots of music that I’d never heard of. I didn’t really have a very broad taste in music, but it has certainly expanded since the orchestra,” Martin says.
For anyone considering joining, his advice is straightforward.
“It’s a great thing to try because it doesn’t really cost you anything and the atmosphere is great. Everyone can help each other out, and it doesn’t matter if you mess up. You just stop playing and get help to get it sorted out. There’s no pressure. You can give it a go and if it’s not for you, just let us know.”
The Waiheke Open Orchestra continues to welcome new players, whether they attend weekly or occasionally. Find our more and enrol for the Waiheke Open Orchestra or discover one of the many other courses and programmes that Waiheke Adult Learning offers too.
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