Cathedral choirs and their choir schools are among some of the oldest European musical traditions.
Denmark's Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir brings their glorious voices to New Zealand in April and May for a five-centre tour 'Ascension - Nielsen, Lauridsen & Palestrina'.
The 46-strong choir including 30 boys aged 13-16 years, is rated as one of the finest in Europe with Le Figaro placing them alongside the Vienna Boys Choir and Kings College Choir.
In Denmark the choir performs at major state and royal occasions and featured at the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary in 2004, and at the christening of their children.
Directed and conducted by Ebbe Munk, the choir's repertoire consists of classical, contemporary and modern music. The award-winning choir tours to concert halls, cathedrals and festivals around the world.
"Magic across many seas…" - Sydney Morning Herald
The "Songbook and Six String" tour will feature the two well-traveled performers Paul Ubana Jones and Bryce Wastney collaborating on each other’s songs and sharing tales from their combined 50 years as professional musicians.
"We are really looking forward to performing for audiences in this exciting new format, "says Paul Ubana Jones. "People often ask me about the stories behind the songs and enjoy tales from the road. Sometimes when it’s your own journey you forget how unusual the life of a touring musician is for most people. I’m also looking forward to performing with Bryce. It really opens up different aspects to your songs when you have someone of his calibre playing them with you and I know the audience will really love his music."
Ubana Jones is well known to New Zealand audiences, having chosen to live in New Zealand in the late 1980s. His illustrious international career has seen him touring with Taj Mahal, Keb Mo’, Crowded House and Norah Jones and opening for Bob Dylan and Patti Smith.
Wastney returned to New Zealand last year after establishing his reputation on the indie music scene in Melbourne, Australia. He recently signed with major US label Musik and Film and his first single with the label, "Dead Man Walking" reached number 2 on New Zealand’s country music chart on iTunes in May 2014.
"I am honoured to be sharing a stage with Paul," says Wastney. "He is a genuine New Zealand icon and I think the "Songbook and Six String" format will offer a unique insight into his career and a great concert experience for our audiences."
The voice of Ultravox, Midge Ure will perform four New Zealand shows in April 2015 - remarkably his first concerts here since electro-pop legends Ultravox visited our shores for the Sweetwaters festival in 1982.
Fans can look forward to intimate solo acoustic performances from Midge Ure (UK), with a concert at the Theatre Royal.
Special guest on the tour is Boh Runga performing songs from her solo and stellar* albums.
Scottish-born Midge Ure has been fearlessly innovative over the years - through creative production and songs like Fade to Grey (Visage) Vienna and Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (Ultravox) and solo gems like If I Was, and No Regrets.
Indeed Ultravox was a major influence on the new romantic and electro-pop movements of the early '80s, and continue to be so today. Their successful trademark was combining Midge's powerful guitar riffs with sweeping synthesiser motifs and state-of-the-art visuals.
Ure's 1984 songwriting collaboration with Bob Geldof, 'Do They Know It's Christmas' was a heartfelt contribution to Ethiopian famine relief. Through Band Aid it sold more than three million copies world-wide, returned to the of the charts in 1989, 2004 and again this Christmas (2014). The song has raised a remarkable $230m for aid to Africa, and the 2014 version with its revised lyrics is helping fund the fight against the Ebola virus.
Starring Giles Taylor
QUEEN - IT'S A KINDA MAGIC recreates Queen's 1986 World Tour concert, featuring over 20 of the band's greatest hits such as 'We Will Rock You', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'We Are the Champions', 'Under Pressure' and 'Fat-Bottomed Girls'. Painstaking attention has been paid to all the music - the iconic voice of Mercury, the amazing guitar solos of May and the groundbreaking Rock harmonies. And with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and authentic costumes, this is as close as you'll ever get to the real thing!
This is a Fundraising Concert to launch Natalie on her path to a career in Musical Theatre.
Special Guests:
Jane Winter
Trudi Wilson
Keryn Kelso
Burnin' swing numbers, sexy salsa groves, beautiful ballads and authentic Las Vegas humour...
Sons of Sinatra is a high-energy musical tribute to the young lions of jazz singing, who today uphold the marvellous vocal tradition set down by the one-and-only Frank Sinatra. You'll hear the best of jazz vocal superstars Michael Buble, Harry Connick Jr, and Jamie Cullum performed by vocalist James Tait-Jamieson and an incredible seven-piece band. All your favourite songs - New York New York, My Way, It Had To Be You, Whisper Your Name, Fever, Sway and Moondance...and even a few duets with beautiful guest vocalist Tessa Quayle. This show has it all!
James Tait-Jamieson - vocal, sax, Rodger Fox - trombone & band leader, Lex French - trumpet, Jake Baxendale - sax, Dan Hayles - piano, Jacqui Nyman - guitar, Lauren Ellis - drums.
DIVAS ROUND MIDNIGHT 8pm Friday January 2
An exciting showcase of sultry, sassy and superb tunes fit for a cool summer’s event.
Expect a delicious evening of surprises as these stunning Divas perform separately, and together with their swinging band. Our Divas will sing classic tunes including Moonlight in Vermont, Stolen Moments, Why Don’t You Do Right, Corner Pocket and, of course, ‘Round Midnight. Divas – Susan de Jong, Jennine Bailey and Tessa Quayle with Dan Hayles – piano, Rowan Clarke – bass, Lauren Ellis – drums
Breabach return to New Zealand for a four date visit to celebrate St Andrews Day. Having received many accolades from the British press New Zealand saw and heard what they were all about at Womad March 2014. Now Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin have their chance to take in this dynamic five piece, fiddle, pipers, vocals, guitar and double bass with some traditional dancing thrown in for good measure.
Best Group (nominee) - BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards
Live Act of the Year - MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2013
Folk Band of the Year - MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards 2012
Ever since launching their career as winners of an Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections 2005, Breabach's star has been steeply on the rise, an ascent that continues with the release of their fourth album, Ùrlar.
Nelson Youth Theatre is delighted to present Hairspray - The Broadway Musical - winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical!
Move over Nelson! Tracy Turnblad, the girl with the big hair is on her way!
Come and enjoy this exuberant, energetic and colourful show! Hairspray will delight audiences by sweeping them away to 1960's Baltimore where change is in the air! Loveable plus-size heroine, Tracy Turnblad, has a passion for dancing, and wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show". Overnight she finds herself transformed from outsider to teen celebrity. Can a larger than life adolescent manage to vanquish the programme's reigning princess, integrate the television show, and find true love without messing her hair?
With catchy songs and sparkling choreography, this show is a dazzling recreation of the fun that was the '60s. As The New York Times says, "If life were everything it should be, it would be more like Hairspray. It's irresistible!"
Multi award winning Scottish folk singer Emily Smith and New Zealand born multi-instrumentalist Jamie McClennan return to tour NZ in Feb 2015 with their inspiring blend of traditional and original folk songs and instrumentals.
Emily’s beautiful voice eases tired ears and lifts souls with its simple beauty. She also plays accordion and piano. Performing with long time musical partner Jamie McClennan on guitar, fiddle and backing vocals, they are a highly talented duo presenting the best of Scottish folk music.
Emily was named BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year back in 2002. The accolades continued as she won the USA Songwriting Competition in 2005, Scots Singer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards in 2008, and she received two nominations in the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (Folk Singer of the Year & Best Traditional Track). Kiwi born Jamie moved to Scotland in 2000 and having worked with Emily since the start of her career has established himself as a respected session musician and producer on the Scottish music scene.
Having now worked together for over a decade Smith and McClennan have toured all over the world, from Cambridge Folk Festival all the way down to the National Folk Festival in Australia, via Europe, Russia, Canada and New Zealand.
TV appearances include BBC Four’s Transatlantic Sessions, BBC One’s Songs of Praise, Scotland’s Hogmanay Live, NZ’s Good Morning Show and an exclusive performance for Sky Arts Channel.
In 2014 Emily released her much-anticipated new album ‘Echoes’, produced by Jamie. On this, her fifth studio album, Emily continues to draw on her talent as one of the finest interpreters of traditional song in the UK. Unshakeably Scottish but with farther, wider horizons, their new material sees time worn texts weave beautifully alongside contemporary covers blurring the borders of old and new to create her finest album yet.
