Four More Artists For Festival

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31519, 6 November 1967, Page 12

Four More Artists For Festival

Four further engagements for the Pan Pacific Arts Festival, which will be held in Christchurch next year, have been announced by the chairman of the executive of the Festival Society (Mr H. G. Hay).

They are the organist Gillian Weir, the pianist Maurice Till, the bass Donald Mclntyre and the New Zealand Ballet Company. Miss Weir, who is from Wanganui, attracted attention in London last year with her performance of Poulenc’s Organ Concerto in the Albert Hall. Donald Mclntyre, who was born in New Zealand, has been overseas some years. He was particularly praised for his debut in this year’s Bayreuth Festival. He will also sing in a concert performance of “Fidelio” at the Auckland Festival. He will be accompanied in a concert in Christchurch by the Christchurch pianist, Maurice Till, who will also accompany Rita Streich, a lead ing soprano of the Vienna State Opera, in a lieder recital. Maurice Till will also perform a concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Moche Atzmon. The ballet, which will be presented for the festival by the New Zealand Ballet Company, has not been chosen, but it is hoped that it will be “Romeo and Juliet.” At present the company is performing “Petrouchka”, together with "Charade” and “A Time for Offenbach”, in Wellington. With the prevailing difficult economic climate, there was a major challenge in ensuring that the people of Christchurch and other parts of New Zealand really got behind the festival, Mr Hay said in his report, which will be presented at the society’s annual meeting tomorrow. The programme committee had drawn up the basis of a programme which would compare more than favourably with any previous festival held in New Zealand, Mr Hay said.

“I believe we can rise to the occasion,” he said. A major floral display arranged by the Canterbury Horticultural Society, several dramatic presentations and Japanese floral displays are included in the programme. “We are confident that the programme is of a sufficiently high standard to attract many visitors to Christchurch, with resulting benefits to our city,” Mr Hay said. The financing of the planned festival was not the least of the society’s worries, said Mr Hay. “Much effort has been expended in endeavouring to secure sponsors from the business community,” he said “Some 26 companies have agreed to become full sponsors by guaranteeing $5OO, while another 20 firms or individuals have agreed to be associate sponsors by grants of $5O or more,” Mr Hay said. “We have also received heartening support from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, in the form of a $4OOO grant which we believe will be more than fully justified by the artistic merit of our programme, particularly in regard to the bringing of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to Christchurch and the presentation, at high cost, of the Berlioz Requiem.”