17 January 2019

Alternative folk three-piece Tweed has been chosen as the second recipients of a musical scholarship set up to support local young musicians.

Established with Auckland Foundation in 2017, the Daphne Gretta Mary Stevens Community Music Scholarship was the realisation of a lifelong dream of South Kaipara music teacher and pianist Daphne Stevens.

The scholarship awards $3,000 each year to an individual or small group to develop their musical skills, and run music activities and performances for the South Kaipara community.

Receiving this scholarship is particularly special for the group - Daphne has been a supporter from the very beginning, providing them with opportunities to perform locally every year. And a friendship has between them has also formed, thanks to vocalist/guitarist Nancy Howie being Daphne's piano tuner for five years.

"I began tuning Daphne's pianos in 2012, and have been impressed by her unwavering commitment to keep her instruments in good working order - which I think reflects her wider appreciation for the teaching and enjoyment of music," says Nancy.

As part of the scholarship, Tweed will make a number of community performances over the forthcoming year. They also plan to hold a vocal harmony workshop for 30 young aspiring songwriters and singers from local secondary schools, including Orewa and Whangaparaoa Colleges.

The group say they are excited to get their performance programme underway.

"We all hold a strong connection to Kaipara and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. This is where we grew up, where we found each other, and most significantly, discovered music."

"The scholarship is incredibly exciting for the band, because it enables us to see through ideas that we have brainstormed for a while, particularly about inspiring young songwriters to hone their craft. We're really looking forward to realising these projects."

"We're also delighted that through this scholarship we have the opportunity to give back to the community that has been so supportive as we've developed our musical skills, and share the music that it has encouraged us to make."

Tweed are Steff Werman, Nancy Howie and Devin Ashton. Nancy and Devin met each other as students while both performing in the Orewa College Jazz Band, with Steff joining them to form the three-piece in 2012.

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