Victoria University of Wellington Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Willis has announced the appointment of Euan Murdoch as the new Director of Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music (NZSM).
 
“We are delighted to have someone of Euan’s experience to take on the role of Director of Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music.  One of the key strengths of the School is its strong and successful links with the local music community. I’m confident that this will continue to flourish under Euan’s leadership.”
 
Euan is currently Chief Executive of Chamber Music New Zealand, a position he has held since 2006.... Prior to that he was Interim Director at the NZSM for a year and previously Head of School of Music at Victoria.

Euan will begin his appointment on 26 January 2015.

Read the full Press Release on the NZSM News page  →

Michael Norris, Senior Lecturer in Composition (and currently acting Programme leader) has been announced as the winner of the 2014 SOUNZ Contemporary Award. Read the full press release on the NZSM News page  →

This is the most prestigious award for composition in New Zealand and is a joint project of SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music and APRA AMCOS. The announcement was made at the APRA Silver Scroll event on Thursday 30 October in Wellington. In 17 years, the SOUNZ Contemporary Award has been won 11 times by alumni, staff (or both!) of the School.

The Silver Scrolls event had lots of NZSM and alumni input:

~ Douglas Lilburn was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. Read more on the NZSM News page  →

~ Jian Liu, Head of Classical Piano, and Composer in Residence David Long along with Jazz graduate Ed Zuccollo performed excerpts from Lilburn’s works as a tribute to his induction.

~ David Long, our Composer in Residence, was nominated as a finalist for the new film score award for his score for Beyond the Edge

~ postgrad alumnus Tom McLeod won the award for the best TV series score for Girl Vs Boy (Season 2)

~ Jazz graduate Louis Baker was one of the finalists for the Silver Scroll, and

~ Gareth Farr led his Gamelan Taniwha Jaya and throat singer Jonny Marks in a reinterpretation of the Silver Scrolls winning song Walk (Back to your Arms) 

Ah !!!  Musical diversity is an additional spice of life !!!

TONIGHT: Choong Park in recital
Winner of the Expressions Piano Trust Prize 2014 gives his recital at the Upper Hutt venue: CPE Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Ravel, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev.
Friday 31 October, 7:30pm, $15
Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre, Upper Hutt

This Sunday, Douglas's 99th birthday, the Lilburn Trust and Alexander Turnbull Library hold the second annual Lilburn Lecture. Guest speaker William Dart will present a lecture entitled: 
Signatures and Footprints
Sunday 2 November, 5:30pm
Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus
Free entry but RSVP preferred for catering

Between 3-15 November, we continue with our final assessment recitals for Classical and Jazz Performance students. The schedule for our third year and above student recitals are on the Events pages of the website. That's 47 free concerts to come!
See the Events pages for details
NZSM Kelburn and Mt Cook campuses

NZSM staff and students are contributing strongly to a concert of appropriate and poignant music commemorating the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the coordinated attack by Nazis on Jews through out the German Reich. 
Kristallnacht Memorial Concert
Jewish Community Centre, 80 Webb Street, Wellington
Sunday 9 November, 7:00pm
Public $15, HCNZ $10, NZSM students free

NZSM hosts the inaugural New Zealand Classical Guitar Competition from December 5-7. With substantial prizes in Youth and Open divisions, Dr Jane Curry, Lecturer in Classical Guitar at NZSM believes this will be an attractive opportunity for classical guitarists throughout New Zealand. The event will be bracketed by free public concerts. Guitarists interested in registering for the competition (deadline is November 21) should contact Jane at jane.curry@nzsm.ac.nz

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

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

Cellophonia IV will take place from 10-14 December. Participants can choose to take part in masterclass sessions with Inbal Megiddo (NZSM), Andrew Joyce (NZSO) or Ashley Brown (NZTrio) from Wednesday-Friday. Then on Friday night, more than 20 cellists will join together for a weekend of ensemble playing, culminating in a public concert on Sunday evening. Interested cellists should check out the Participants page – interested audience members have a look at the concert information. 

Cellophonia IV for Participants: 10-14 December

Cellophonia IV Finale concert: 14 December
Both – Adam Concert Room, NZSM Kelburn Campus

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)