Festival celebrates all things musical

Festival celebrates all things musical

The School of Music at the University of Auckland is throwing open its doors in celebration of all things musical with a two-week festival of events to coincide with the start of spring.

From concerts to movie screenings, opera to jazz, there is something to satisfy all tastes, with most events free to the public.

Highlights of the festival include the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) Big Play In at the Auckland Town Hall, featuring members of the APO paired with aspiring musicians. Free to the public, the evening concludes with a performance of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.

APO Our Voice, is another collaboration providing young composers an opportunity to workshop, perform and record their music with the orchestra, at the APO Hall in Mt Eden.

The hugely popular event Opera Scenes featuring operatic miniatures, is also included in this year’s festival. A vocal feast that previews the future of New Zealand opera with performances from the School’s talented voice students, this year’s programme comprises portrayals of Maurice Ravel’s fantastical fairy tale, L’enfant et les sortilèges, plus Samuel Barber’s micro-opera A Hand of Bridge.

A screening of the documentary Composed, directed by John Beder, explores the issue of performance anxiety and ways of addressing it. The film has been described as ‘essential viewing’ for anyone fearful before an audience.

For something more upbeat, come along and hear the award-winning jazz ensemble DOG, unleashed for one night, presenting both standards and original works.

Another highlight is the School of Music Carnival featuring impressive performances by students from jazz, song writing, choral and classical disciplines, followed by a staff performance of Saint-Saëns's humorous suite of fourteen movements, The Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux).

“The second half of September turns into a huge celebration of the diversity of the School of Music’s performance and research activities, featuring many student-staff collaborations. It showcases the School’s vibrant student community as well as our many strong partnerships within the community and provides musical entertainment on the highest level for lovers of all musical genres. I look forward to welcoming the wider Auckland community at our events,” says Associate Professor Martin Rummel, Head of the School of Music.

To view the full programme of events visit www.musicfest.ac.nz

School of Music Festival
18 September – 1 October 2017
Hosted by the School of Music
Queries to creative@auckland.ac.nz

ENDS

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