Festival role in tune with plans
A life in music is one step closer for a Lower Hutt high school student.
Fifteen-year-old Leroy Paton Golds bury is one of 12 high school students chosen to be a student ambassador for the New Zealand Festival.
With his fellow ambassadors, he’ll be hitting the streets during the festival, reporting on a select few shows.
Leroy grew up in a musical family and has been playing the piano for seven years, although he could probably get away with saying he started earlier.
He has at least one photo of himself as a baby at the piano, with his dad and granddad guiding his hands to the keys.
‘‘I think [music] is a really good way to process things. That’s the emotional side but I really love performing as well and being on stage.’’
When he started at Hutt Valley High School, he began playing in a jazz band and picked up a few more instruments including saxophone, guitar, drums and bass.
He plays in a jazz trio and also with a group of mates in a rock band that’s been together since he was in Year 8.
He first heard about the ambassador programme when his music teacher, Grace Davey, forwarded an email on applying for the role.
As part of being an ambassador, he received training on mobile journalism, writing theatre-style reviews and podcasting.
The role was something he’d never done before but was looking forward to giving it a go.
The behind-the-scenes look-in is perfect for Leroy. He’s determined to find a career around music and is interested in co-ordinating events, such as the festival.
‘‘It’s definitely music. It could be jazz piano, it could be doing events. I just say music because that’s a definite,’’ he says.
For his part as an ambassador, he’ll be covering Cecile McLorin Salvant, an American jazz vocalist, and Mechanical Ballet, a collection of self-playing instruments.
New Zealand Festival education and community producer Coralie Tapper says festival organisers wanted to give students an inside view of professional theatre, festival-making and art careers.
In the leadup to the three-week festival, the students received training from Te Auaha lecturers for their roles.