The Wagner-Verdi concert of May 28th went extremely well with accolades flowing from audience members and reviewers. John Button in the Dominion Post described the concert as 'of a quality to bode very well for the future of our music'. In the Middle C review website Rosemary Collier said 'the orchestra was in top form, and coupled with some outstanding singers, they made the tribute to two of the greatest opera composers, into a marvellous concert' while Peter Mechen suggested that 'The concert represented, I thought, an impressive achievement from all concerned, but especially on the part of the student musicians ...  the musicians' youthful energies and well-honed skills came splendidly to the fore...'
[If you missed the concert, you can see and hear a few excerpts on the NZSM Vimeo channel here (with more to come).]

The Portuguese Percussion Project was highly successful with composers John Psathas, Chris Gendall and David Downes able to talk about their works directly with Pedro Carneiro, his colleague performers and the Lisbon audience, before settling back to enjoy the superb live concert from half a world away. The conversation and performance were captured, via Google Hangouts, and can be seen and heard on Youtube here.

The NZIAF Jazz Festival on Cuba was a huge success with NZSM students, staff and artist teachers playing a major part in a variety of settings – from street performance in Cuba Street to the many other concerts in bars and restaurants and the Mantis and Wellington Jazz Orchestra gigs in the major venues. The Cuba connection followed through to a workshop with NZSM students from guest artists Chucho Valdés and his Afro-Cuban Messengers - images of the workshop can be seen on our NZSM Flickr and NZSM facebook pages.

Trimester 1 may be over, but that doesn't mean that there is nothing going on! Our alumni and staff are very active with concerts and masterclasses cropping up around town and as far afield as Singapore and India. We once again encourage you to keep track of our Events pages and more will be added in the coming days.

This weekend Peter Walls is guest conductor and Erin Helyard guest organist for Nota Bene's 'Pieces of Eight' concert.  Chamber Music New Zealand host the Tokyo String Quartet for a Wellington performance and the ensembles cellist, Clive Greensmith, will give a masterclass for three NZSM cellists in the afternoon in the Adam Concert Room – observers welcome. 

Next week, Rodger Fox and the Wellington Jazz Orchestra welcome guest vocalist Erna Ferry to their monthly gig at The Grand on Courtenay Place – Tuesday June 18 from 8:00pm, no cover charge. On Thursday the first Urban Chamber Music event will take place at Meow featuring Donald Nicolson on harpsichord, Anton Killin with a compact gamelan and NZSM composition students. And on Friday 21, graduate tenor Thomas Atkins will give a fundraising recital at St Andrews. Tom will take a major role in the NZSM's production of Verdi's Il corsaro in July but thereafter he will be off to London to further his study at the Guildhall.

More events in June and early July will be added as details are confirmed including Jazz assessments for the Foundation Course and NZSM Fusion Ensemble, performances, masterclasses (and auditions) in Singapore from Inbal Megiddo and Jian Liu, a masterclass for NZSM pianists from Michael Houstoun, and a percussion masterclass with Colin Currie through the NZSO and NZSO Foundation, a Pasifika concert with the Manukau Symphony featuring Opeloge Ah Sam as conductor and composer, and more...

You may have noticed a swag of news items published on the NZSM news pages?

Congratulations to Elizabeth Kerr, Bud Jones, Ian McKinnon and Piri Sciascia on their Queen's Birthday honours.

A report on the second Friday at 5:15 concert in which three award recipients met and performed for the people who established the new prizes.

Congratulations to 2013 NZSM Concerto Competition winner Heather Lewis (cello).

Professor Donald Maurice's exciting invitation to represent New Zealand in a special concert in Warsaw celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Poland.

And two items that you may want to share with others that you know will also be interested:
Music in Everyday Life: a new online music course in Trimester 2 (so it can be done by anyone, anywhere!)
and
A triple-ticket treat through Ticketek for people that want to see and hear Swan Lake, Il corsaro AND Pounamu all in the same weekend of 26-28 July – a great deal both for Wellingtonians and for out-of-towners looking for a good reason to visit.

And then there are all the older news items from this year as well...

Just to further whet you appetite:

Rehearsals for the NZSM production of Verdi's Il corsaro are well underway. As well as the photos and video excerpts from the Wagner-Verdi concert which feature both the orchestra and three of the singers who will take major roles in the opera, check out some of the images from recent rehearsals and a sneak peek at some of the concepts and stage models for the production.

Seriously - you do NOT want to miss the opportunity of seeing and hearing this very exciting production in July.

Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music is a joint initiative of
Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington

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:

Elizabeth Hudson
NZSM Director
Ph: 04 463 5860
Email: elizabeth.hudson@nzsm.ac.nz

or

Diana Meads
Development Manager -- Planned Giving
Victoria University of Wellington Foundation
Ph: 0800 VIC LEGACY (0800 842 534)
Email: diana.meads@vuw.ac.nz

www.victoria.ac.nz/foundation