Choirs, bands, jazz musicians in busy weekend
There’s a very busy weekend coming up, where you can take your pick from choral, concert band and jazz music.
Concert band musicians from around the region will converge on New Plymouth for three days of learning and playing together at the New Zealand Concert Band Association Annual Band Weekend May 5-7 at Sacred Heart Girls’ College, hosted by the Great Taranaki Steam Band. They will rehearse contemporary repertoire with visiting music director Dr Errol Moore (University of Otago), and present a public concert on Sunday May 7 at 2pm at the New Plymouth Bible Chapel (50 Vivian Street). Gold coin donation. For more details go to www.nzcba.org.
Meanwhile, Ars Nova Choir presents Vaughan Williams Considered on Saturday May 6 at 2pm at St Andrew’s Church.
Vaughan Williams was one of the great English composers and the programme includes works from both ends of his career. , based on the poetry of Walt Whitman, was an instant success at its premiere in 1907. Hodie was his last major choral work before his death in 1958. He was particularly well known for his love of English folk song, and his set of Five English Folk Songs is included, along with his song cycle In Windsor Forest with texts from Shakespeare, Stevenson and Jonson.
Christopher Luke conducts the choir with accompanist Amanda Henry and Ars Antiqua Chamber Orchestra. Admission is $20 adult, $5 students at the door.
Also on Sunday May 7, the Taranaki Jazz Club will showcase the extraordinary talent of awardwinning arranger, composer, pianist, trumpet player and author, Kevin Clark. He is joined by vocalist Fran Barton, drummer Lance Philip and bassist Rowan Clark for Jazzical Potpourri, a selection from their previous shows, their albums and originals, with everything from New Orleans to Cuba, Swing to Sting, Clark to Brahms and Peggy Lee to Megan Trainor. Doors open at 4pm at The Mayfair for the 4.30pm show. Admission: Adults $25, Jazz club members $15, Students $4.
In the run-up to all that, Christopher Luke will present his regular Lunchtime Organ Recital at St Joseph’s Catholic Church at 1pm on Tuesday, May 2.
With the support of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation, the Music Innovation Trust of Taranaki has organised a special masterclass for selected piano students with Dr Ludwig Treviranus on Friday, April 28 at Philomena Hall. They will be using the grand piano recently moved there from the Taranaki Cathedral. It is hoped in the future that this piano will be available to piano students by arrangement.
Don’t Forget: Ludwig2 - Taranaki Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adam Jasinski, with soloist Ludwig Treviranus playing the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto. Saturday May 13, 7.30pm at the Theatre Royal. Book at Ticketek.