Final Festival Fling: Christchurch Arts Festival Finishes on High Note This Week

It’s the final week for Christchurch Arts Festival – and there are still more fantastic shows to come.

Festival Director Craig Cooper says this final week features one of the highlights of the Festival – Band of Magicians; together with two concerts for classical music lovers – acclaimed pianist Michael Houstoun in Inspired by Bach, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s concert The Romantics. On Sunday the Festival finishes on a high note with a quintet of Australasia’s finest opera and musical theatre singers.

“Plus there’s a boutique theatre piece from Wales – Hiraeth – which is almost sold out, but I do know we have a few tickets left for the Saturday morning performance,” Mr Cooper said.

Mr Cooper said he has been delighted with the three weeks of the Festival. “It’s been a real thrill watching Christchurch people coming back into the centre of the city to experience shows at the TVNZ Festival Club and Fletcher Construction Studio, and of course the luminarium in Cathedral Square.”

The luminarium, Arboria, proved to be a huge hit with more than 10,000 people taking the opportunity to wander its light-filled corridors and be bathed in colour. With ticket prices kept to $5 per person thanks to major sponsorship from McConnell Dowell, Arboria was experienced by people from all walks of life.

Mr Cooper said Arboria has been just one of the success stories of this year’s Festival from the opening event which drew almost 2000 people into Worcester Boulevard for fire sculpture and street performance, through to sold out seasons for the world premieres of two Festival-commissioned showsThat Bloody Woman and The White Guitar; and the sold out signs were up for Lady Rizo, The Daisy Theatre, Kraken, Swing, and Modern Maori Quartet sponsored by Ngai Tahu.

“That Bloody Woman and The White Guitar received widespread acclaim from reviewers and the public, and we’re delighted to have brought these shows to the stage and there is already strong interest being shown for future seasons for both shows.”

But meanwhile, Mr Cooper said, Band of Magicians have arrived in Christchurch, and were welcomed by the Christchurch-based Official Wizard of New Zealand, and are ready to bring their special show of illusion and magic trickery to the Isaac Theatre Royal from tonight until Saturday.

Welsh play Hiraeth is in the Gloucester Room at the Isaac Theatre Royal this weekend, while Michael Houstoun is making his way north to Christchurch on his Chamber Music New Zealand tour to performInspired by Bach on Friday night at the Charles Luney Auditorium.

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra is rehearsing not only for their concert The Romantics on Saturday night, but also for From Broadway to La Scala on Sunday night to accompany opera superstar Teddy Tahu Rhodes, musical theatre’s Jennifer Ward Lealand, leading Australian singers Greta Bradman and David Hobson with special guest Dame Malvina Major.

Book tickets and find out more at www.artsfestival.co.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media