Queenstown To Come Alive With Music

It’s coming - the Whakatipu Music Festival is ready to bring Queenstown alive with music.

New Zealand’s top professional and emerging artists touch down in Queenstown on Monday (April 11) for a week of workshops and rehearsals before taking to the Queenstown Memorial Centre stage this Easter weekend.

Joining them are a variety of locally-grown musicians: passionate community ensembles, artistically-minded schoolchildren and Wakatipu High School production students, showcasing the best of singer-songwriting talent, Broadway hits, classical and jazz music.

Festival director Anne Rodda says music lovers should get ready for a weekend full of incredible talent and beautiful performances.

“The festival is so much more than live performances,” she says. “During the week free-of-charge workshops and piano, violin and woodwind masterclasses are presented by world-class performers Stephen De Pledge, Robin Wilson and Bridget Douglas.”

Artists will also engage with local schools, sharing their talents and working with music students, which Anne describes as “the sort of spark that can be a life’s catalyst”.

Local musicians have the chance to play alongside professional artists in the final event of the weekend, an en masse Kia Kōpuni performance. Kiwi but normally London-based composer, Lucy Mulgan, created a work that is orchestrated specifically for the diverse ability range of the festival’s community of artists. It’s open to anyone, regardless of skill level, instrument or vocal ability.

Music is key to the festival, but there is a broader artistic focus as well. This year, we’ve added a festival within a festival - an all encompassing day package featuring the best arts, culture, wine and food offerings around Queenstown, called A Taste of Art.

“Everything’s planned and organised for you with all meals, activities and transport included. So all you need to worry about is who to bring,” says Anne.

A Taste of Art kicks off with members of art-music quartet Tararua sharing their knowledge of the origins of taonga pūoro specific to the Central Otago region. Starkwhite gallery director Kelly Carmichael with artist John Reynolds hosts a private tour of Starkwhite’s current exhibition and exploring upcoming artists, and how galleries work with art lovers.

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Hotel St Moritz and lunch at Nockie’s Palette Cellar Door with tastings of their exquisite wines. Delight in a private garden performance from a festival violinist before heading back into town to listen to beautifully crafted recitals from the young artists.

There’s an option to end the perfect day with dinner at The Rees Hotel’s True South Dining Room and an incredible concert by the festival’s impressive team of professional musicians.

With reduced indoor numbers, some of the concerts are close to capacity, so don’t miss out.

A priority for event organisers has been ensuring the festival complies with the changing COVID landscape and protects its 100-plus performers. “While we’ve removed the requirement for guests to have vaccine passes, we’ll still be asking everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing,” says Anne.

Head to the Whakatipu Music Festival website for more details and to buy tickets.

https://michaelhillviolincompetition.co.nz/whakatipu-music-festival/

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