Still a few concert and masterclass opportunities to round out the year. 

NZSM hosts the inaugural New Zealand Classical Guitar Competition THIS weekend: December 5-7 and guest judge Timothy Kain will give a free recital on Friday evening. More than 20 entrants from all over the country will compete for substantial prizes in Youth and Open divisions. Professor Jack C Richards and SOUNZ the Centre for New Zealand Music are supporting the competition alongside NZSM. The audience will be invited to have a hand in judging in the final round concert on Sunday. 

Guest Judge Timothy Kain in Recital
Friday 5 December, 7:30pm
Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus
Free entry

NZ Classical Guitar Competition Finale
Sunday 7 December, 2:00pm
Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus
Free entry
 

Cellophonia IV will take place from 10-14 December. Participants have chosen to take part in either the masterclass sessions with Inbal Megiddo (NZSM), Andrew Joyce (NZSO) or Ashley Brown (NZTrio) from Wednesday-Friday or the weekend of ensemble playing – or both!

The weekend culminates in a public concert on Sunday evening – and the audience will also be invited to participate in the final 20 minutes or so, playing or singing some appropriate Festive songs and carols. 
Cellists: it is not (quite) too late to register – but be quick! 

Cellophonia IV for Participants: 10-14 December
Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus

Cellophonia IV Finale concert
Sunday 14 December
Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus
Adults $10; Students $5; NZSM staff and students free

Lots of news this month.

Following on from Michael Norris's SOUNZ Contemporary Award win there have been a host of other notable successes for our staff, former staff, alumni and students including: 

~ Associate Professor Ross Harris being made an Arts Laureate of New Zealand

~ Professor John Psathas being awarded a Higher Doctorate

~ Alice McIvor winning an Arts Excellence Award from the Dame Malvina Major Foundation

~ Associate Professor Jack Body's music, played by the NZSO, conducted by Kenneth Young and featuring Associate Professor Martin Riseley and Budi S Putra winning the Tui for best Classical Album of 2014

~ First year jazz singer Lee Stuart winning the $20,000 Homai Te Pakipaki competition

~ Alumnus Andrew Baldwin being one of six winners in the Gallipoli Songs competition

Read all about it!

Huge congratulations to all. 

Any recent visitors to EITHER of our location, location, locations will have noted that there is a lot of construction work going on.

Both Massey and Victoria University are engaging in major renovative and building projects right next door to our (respectively) Mt Cook and Kelburn campuses. In the latter case, our new neighbour, the Victoria University 'Gateway' Science block, is scheduled to be completed in late 2017.

Currently it is not very quiet in the office at Mt Cook, but access is relatively normal.  

At Kelburn, the main entrance to NZSM has been closed for a fortnight and will remain so for another few days yet. Entrance to the main reception area is either via Gate 8 or 9 and through the back of the ACR or through the bottom (practice rooms) entrance off Culliford Drive and follow the arrows. Either way, there are lots of stairs to negotiate. 

In addition, both Kelburn Parade above us and Culliford Drive below us are in the process of being excavated, renovated and reinstated. Almost all the carparks on Culliford Drive are unavailable. The upper carpark (through Gate 6) is now also closed, but carparking has been made available further down the hill beyond NZSM.

Please note that WIlsons are now contracted to police parking and a $65 fine is standard, so do make sure that if you need to park at NZSM you DO get the requisite parking permit from reception.

So ... If you need to drive to NZSM and park, then please do allow extra time to negotiate the obstacles, find a park, and to make your way to reception to collect and display a parking permit.

For those that missed Signatures and Footprints, William Dart's 'Lilburn Lecture' in the ACR a few weeks back, RNZConcert will be broadcasting this tomorrow night (Thursday 5 December) at 7pm and it will be on their website as audio-on-demand after that.

For some of New Zealand's most talented musicians, the only thing that stands in the way of their dreams is the lack of funds to make them real.

By making a lifetime donation or a gift in your will to the New Zealand School of Music, you can help young musicians to fulfil their ambitions.

For further information on how you can provide support for students at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music, please contact:

Professor Emeritus Barrie Macdonald
Interim NZSM Director
Ph: 04 463 5860
Email: barrie.macdonald@nzsm.ac.nz

or

Victoria University of Wellington Foundation
Ph: 0800 VIC LEGACY (0800 842 534)