Festival Concert

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 32

Festival Concert

A little outside the field of ploughing, but a function that promises to be one of the features of this week is the world ploughing festival concert, which will be held on Saturday evening. In this concert, in which more than 300 persons will be taking part and to which about 2000 persons have been invited, it is hoped to present something of the culture of New Zealand for the benefit of visitors from overseas and to combine with this something of the culture that New Zealand has inherited from Europe where many of the visitors will come from. The first half of the programme will consist. of a presentation of “Carmina Burana” by the Royal Christchurch Musical Society with a choir of about 200 voices. After the presentation of the Golden Plough and the Massey-Ferguson Rosebowl to the winner and runnerup respectively in the World Ploughing Contest by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Taiboys, the second half of the programme will be occupied by the Ngati Poneke Maori Youth Club, of Wellington, who will entertain with Maori action songs, dances and hakas. The group, which will be about

40 strong, is regarded as one of the leading Maori concert parties in the country. Last year it entertained President Johnson. As the official party arrive In Canterbury Court there will be a special fanfare for drums and trumpets, and when all the other members of the official party are seated the president of the World Ploughing Organisation, Mr W. Feuerleln, will remain standing to be given the traditional challenge by the Maori group. As the winners in the ploughing contest come forward to receive their trophies a trumpet fanfare, which has been specially composed for the occasion by Professor J. Ritchie, will be presented by three trumpeters and two cornetists from the National Orchestra under Mr J. Lauderdale, who is leader of the brass section of the orchestra. After the presentation of the trophies Mr Feuerlein will speak.