Gary was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order
of Merit (O.N.Z.M.) in the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition
of his services to music.
In November 2000, Gary was presented the prestigious
Scroll of Honour by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand: "for
his dedication and skill in his craft and for bringing the joy of orchestral
music to the people. We acknowledge his achievements and salute his professionalism."
In 2005 the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International,
named Gary a Paul Harris Fellow. He was appointed Musical Director for
the 1975 New Zealand Waitangi Day Celebrations attended by Her Majesty,
the Queen of England and other members of the British Royal Family.
Gary was born in Auckland, New Zealand, educated at Auckland
University and Auckland Teachers Training College. He started his musical
career in brass bands as a euphonium player, later changing to clarinet,
playing in symphony orchestras, jazz combos and top New Zealand ‘rock‘
bands during the 60’s.
In the late 60’s, he moved to London, where
he stayed for 4 years, studying composition and conducting, while teaching
and playing piano in a trio with his brother, Wayne, who was a drummer/vocalist.
Gary also studied conducting in Hawaii and Switzerland.
Gary started playing the piano seriously when he
was 21 becoming a top line jazz and rock/pop pianist. He also doubled
on alto and tenor saxophones with the clarinet.
He stayed on in the brass band world for many years
as a percussionist and drummer while continuing to play in symphony orchestras
as a clarinettist and professional percussionist.
In March 1997, he was musical director for the Military
Tattoo held in New Plymouth, with a total participating cast of over 1500.
This involved the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Bands, 160 pipes
and drums, including the Band of the Black Watch from Scotland, local
brass bands, orchestra and a 300-voice choir.
Gary is a qualified Secondary School teacher in
Economics, Accounting and Music and was selected by the New Zealand Education
Department as "Composer in Schools", a one year appointment
that he held for two years in 1978/79. During that time he composed many
songs and musicals for children that have remained very popular and are
still regularly performed.
As a composer, Gary has written works for orchestra,
accordion, children’s songs and musicals, with over 600 TV and radio
advertising jingles and film sound tracks. Interestingly enough, he did
not compose any songs or music during his rock ‘n’ roll years,
even though his band had several hit records.
Gary is New Zealand's most prolific and successful
composer and arranger of music for the accordion, although he does not
play the accordion. His musical arrangements and compositions for accordion
orchestras and solo accordion are still used extensively around the world.
He was highly regarded as an arranger and conductor
for Television New Zealand, writing for many of the top New Zealand T.V.
shows.
As a record producer, he has to his credit some
40 record albums including one ‘platinum' and two 'gold' records
His first conducting experiences were with high
school choirs and school music festivals.
His first professional conducting venture was with
the highly successful, rock musical - Man of Sorrows, paving his way into
musical theatre.
Gary has held the position of Musical Director/Conductor,
of the Auckland
Symphony Orchestra. since its formation in 1975
On
the international scene, Gary has conducted many major orchestras including
London’s Royal Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, the Taiwan Symphony,
the Moravian Philharmonic-Czech Republic; conducted symphony concerts
in Jakarta, Indonesia and the National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia,
featuring many of his own compositions.
In 2002 he was the first New Zealander to be invited
to conduct in South Korea, where he was guest conductor of the Incheon
City Symphony Orchestra.
Gary is a frequent guest conductor with accordion
orchestras in Germany and the USA, in recent years, conducting many concerts
in Washington, Chicago, and Buffalo and throughout Texas.
In 2003 he travelled to Turkey to conduct the Turkish
State Symphony Orchestra of Bursa, premièring his new commission,
Gallipoli - Rhapsody for Trumpet and Orchestra.
In April 2005, again at the invitation of the Turkish
Government, Gary conducted the acclaimed Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra
in Istanbul, as part of the 90-year Gallipoli commemorations. His composition,
‘Gallipoli’ – Rhapsody for Trumpet and Orchestra - was
included on the programme.
A recording of this work, along with his other original
orchestral compositions, performed by the Moravian Philharmonic-Czech
Republic, was released on the EMI Classics label, Gallipoli - New Zealand
orchestral Music by Gary Daverne.
His third CD release by EMI: Rhapsody: New Zealand
Music for Accordion and Symphony Orchestra by Gary Daverne was released
in June 2007, performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the
Moravian Philharmonic-Czech Republic.
His first EMI CD release was Youth of Auckland -
New Zealand orchestral Music by Gary Daverne, a re-release of an earlier
RCA recording, performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Other CD releases of his original music include:
Concert Accordion Music by Gary Daverne, five of his children’s
musicals: Panapa, The Floating Island, The Brothers Three, Young Mozart,
Gypsy Girl (Diddikai) and How about Singing – Songs for
Children.
With librettist, Dorothy Tomlinson, Gary composed
the music for a two act opera, John Hobbs – A Man with a Mission.
The story of the early 19-century Wesleyan missionaries in New Zealand.
In April 2007, Gary conducted the Auckland
Symphony Orchestra on a concert tour
of China, where they played to large, enthusiastic and appreciative audiences,
in the cities of, Shanghai, Shi Jia Zhuang and Beijing.
The concerts in Beijing and Shanghai were televised
and the Shanghai concert was screened for one hour, prime time television
(Sunday evening 7 - 8pm), to an estimated viewing audience of 143 million.