Nayland College presents one of Broadway's biggest hit musicals Bye Bye Birdie!

This loving send-up of the late 1950s in small town America centres around an Elvis Presley type rock and roll superstar (Conrad Birdie) who is drafted into the army. His agent and song writer (Albert Peterson) and Albert's secretary and love interest (Rosie Alvarez) plan a farewell performance for Birdie on the Ed Sullivan television show and they hope the performance will provide the publicity to sell Albert's new song 'One Last Kiss' and bring Albert's company out of debt. At the conclusion of the performance, Birdie will give a real kiss to a lucky girl from his fan club!

Bye Bye Birdie continues to thrill audiences around the world with its tuneful high-energy score, hilarious script and hit songs include 'Put on a Happy Face', 'One Last Kiss', 'One Boy', 'A Lot of Livin' to Do', 'Kids!, and 'Rose'. Not to be missed!

Following their highly successful season of Fiddler on the Roof, Nelson Theatrix is delighted to present Love in the Spotlight - songs of love and heartbreak from some of the world's greatest musicals! If you loved Wicked Women of the Stage then Love in the Spotlight is the perfect 'winter' feel good show you can't miss!

Join us for some love - 'in love' heartbroken, quirky longs songs and the most important unrequited love!

Join the New Zealand String Quartet on their 30th anniversary tour for a concert filled with passion, yearning, joy and heartache. Their Dangerous Liaisons programme explores themes of love and desire and will take you on an emotional journey through some of the great works of the repertoire.

Mendelsohn's first love and Janacek's obsession with a woman half his age were both doomed to failure yet inspired some of their most beautiful works. Jack Body's Saetas takes its inspiration from the fire and passion of flamenco songs and reveals Rolf Gjelsten's secret talent as an accomplished accordionist.

Music and art harmonise in this concert at the Suter Gallery. A word of warning: it'll be an intimate affair and the music may steal your heart!

Programme
Janacek: String Quartet no 2, Intimate Letters
Jack Body: Saetas
Mendelssohn: String Quartet no 2 in A minor, op 13

The Nelson Civic Choir opens their 2017 season with Rossini's sparkling Petite Messe Solennelle, in the wonderful setting of Nelson Cathedral.

The choir is complemented by four accomplished local soloists: Zoe Bennett (Soprano), Erica Sim (Contralto), Ewen Griffiths (Tenor) and Graham O'Brien (Bass), and conducted by their musical director, Chris Lukies. They are accompanied by James Thomas (Organ) and Lizzie Peacock (Piano).

Rossini is well known for his lively comic operas. The Petite Messe, written 30 years after his last opera, is a serious piece (Solennelle), yet it lacks none of his earlier vivacity, with some of the passages sounding as though they might have come from light opera.  The structure of this late masterpiece is that of the Catholic Mass, with major solo parts intertwined with substantial passages for chorus. Compared with Rossini's operas, this work is not often performed, and this concert gives audiences a rare chance to hear a sacred (but not too solemn) work by Rossini in a glorious Cathedral setting.

Scotland’s legendary singer/songwriter Isla Grant returns to New Zealand with exciting new songs - plus her extensive repertoire of most loved music.

As an internationally acclaimed recording artist, Isla’s beautiful voice encompasses everything from country folk songs to easy listening - Isla’s spellbinding concert features her wonderful hit songs and takes a nostalgic look at her long and successful career.

Isla’s Concert will be a grand international concert not to be missed.

The Big Sing is a dynamic, national group-singing competition for secondary school students.

Festivals are held in June in eleven New Zealand regions and The Big Sing has grown into a major highlight of the secondary school music calendar. This year, more than 8000 young people are taking part in regional festivals nationwide, and the number continues to grow.

Come and hear talented young singers from schools across the region as they compete for a place in the Grand Final held later this year!

Great conductor Nigel Weeks has selected the program for 'The World's Most Beautiful Melodies' It is sure to be an audience favourite.

Programme:
Tritsch Tratsch Polka - Strauss
Orpheus in the Underworld - Offenbach
'Finale' from William Tell Overture - Rossini
Carmen Suite No. 1 - Bizet
Fantasia on Greensleeves - Vaugham Williams
Spartacus Ballet Suite: Andagio of Spartacus - Khatchaturian
Skater's Waltz - Strauss
Gabriel's oboe - Morricone
New World Symphony - Dvorak

Welcome to the Nelson Final of Smokefreerockquest!

Smokefree Rockquest is New Zealand's only nationwide, live, original music, youth event. Founded in 1989 by music teachers Glenn Common and Pete Rainey, who now run Rockquest Promotions full-time out of Nelson, Smokefree Rockquest is a New Zealand institution.

Musical successes from Smokefree Rockquest include Kimbra, Broods, The Good Fun, Midnight Youth, Opshop, Annah Mac, Evermore, Ladyhawke, Minuit, Kids of 88, Die!Die!Die!, Pistol Youth, Bang!Bang!Eche!, Ivy Lies, Cairo Knife Fight, Cut Off Your Hands, Luke Thompson, The Datsuns, Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa, Anna Coddington, The Electric Confectionaires, Steriogram, Aaradhna, Spacifix, The Naked and Famous, Phoenix Foundation, The Feelers, The Black Seeds, Nesian Mystik, Bic Runga, The Checks, Julia Deans, Pine, King Kapisi, Kingston, The Naked and Famous, Autozamm and Elemeno P.

Smokefree Rockquest aims to motivate young musicians to prove their ability and realise the heights they can reach in their music careers, and to encourage their peers to support 100% original New Zealand music.

The Nelson Heats will be at Annesbrook Church on May 13 and will have door sales only.

New Zealand country music icons Eddie Low, Gray Bartlett, Brendan Dugan & Jody Vaughan and headed South with The True Legend tour, which will see icons of the country entertainment celebrating with their adoring fans in Nelson with a matinee performance of all your country favourites.

Join these multi award winning artists from the rich voice of Eddie Low, awesome guitar finesse of Gray Bartlett, Rich deep tones of Brendan Dugan and Queen of NZ Country music Jody Vaughan.

Don't miss this opportunity to see 'The True Legends' -The heartbeat of County - New Zealand's Super Stars.

The highlight Ceol Aneas Irish Music Festival is the tutors concert. Headlined by the talented Kevin Crawford, Colin Farrell, Patrick Doocey and Dáire Mulhern from Ireland, the concert is a chance for all our tutors and festival guests to give us all a taste of their wonderful musical skills and creativity. Expect a delightful night of traditional Irish music and “craic” with toe tapping tunes from all the artists.

This year’s guests represent a veritable power house of international Irish music talent, the strongest lineup the festival has ever had.

Last years concert was very full so be in quick to avoid disappointment.
More information about the festival and the musicians can be found on www.irishmusic.org.nz.