Bridget Douglas (flute) & Rachel Thomson (piano)

Bridget and Rachel present some of their favourite works for flute and piano. Beginning with a sublime Sonata by JS Bach they then move into the golden era of the flute with beautiful pieces by French romantic composers Gabriel Faure and Lili Boulanger. They finish with deeply moving and atmospheric works by two of Australasia's most respected composers, Gillian Whitehead and Anne Boyd.

Both Bridget and Rachel were born in Dunedin and studied music at the Victoria University of Wellington where they first played together. They have recorded two flute and piano albums on the Trust Records Label and over the course of their careers they have performed together throughout Aotearoa.
Rachel began her piano studies with her mother. She went on to study with Judith Clark at VUW before continuing her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the United States, where she gained a doctorate in piano performance.

Rachel regularly performs with some of the country’s leading musicians. She has toured on numerous occasions for Chamber Music New Zealand and is a member of various chamber ensembles including the Koru Trio. She has worked as an orchestral pianist with the NZSO, Orchestra Wellington, and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Rachel is also active as a teacher, adjudicator and accompanist, and is a music examiner for Trinity College London.
Bridget is Section Principal Flute of the NZSO and an Artist Teacher in Flute at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī. She graduated from Victoria and Otago Universities before travelling to the USA for postgraduate study with the assistance of a Fulbright Graduate Award. While in New York Bridget won the New York Flute Club and Artists International Competitions resulting in debut recitals at Carnegie and CAMI Halls.

Bridget mentors young musicians throughout NZ and is passionate about collaborative ways of making music. She is a founding member of the contemporary music ensemble Stroma and enjoys playing a diverse range of chamber music with her musical colleagues throughout Australasia. She is regularly featured on Radio NZ Concert.

Bridget is actively involved in performing and commissioning NZ composers to create music that is unique to Aotearoa. In 2020 she was awarded the CANZ (Composers Association of NZ) KBB Citation for Services to NZ Music.

This event is part of our 2025 Great Hall Lunchtime Concerts at The Arts Centre.