Arts Festival

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31631, 18 March 1968, Page 12

Arts Festival

Sir, —Perhaps the festival committee would care to comment on the current advertising for concerts to be held in the Cathedral. Two samples appearing today state “Admission by programme 50 cents,” and “Programme (includes ticket price) on sale from Station 3ZB. Price $l.” The necessity for recovering the cost (or at least part of it) of such concerts is appreciated, but this is surely extracting money under false pretences. These prices are ■paid for the programme alone land not for admission. More[over, with the necessary charges for other items in the festival programme, it is possible that some citizens are able to attend only such programmes as these. Art in New Zealand is not yet, I hope, only for those who can afford it.—Yours, etc., B.J.G. March 12, 1968. [The chairman of the festival committee (Mr H. G. i Hay) replies: “The Cathedral recital advertised at 50c per programme was one of several lunch-hour concerts in which fees payable to the artists concerned will probably exceed the proceeds of sale of programmes. However, at least two lunch-hour Cathedral concerts are free of charge, these being recitals by Mr C. Foster Browne and the Cathedral' Choristers. The organ recital by the eminent organist Gillian Weir involves a programme charge of $1 and is a full evening performance, all arrangements for this concert having been in the hands of the promoter, the N.Z.B.C. 1 assure “8.J.G.” that all recitals in the Cathedral have been the subject of discussion and approval of the Dean of Christchurch, whose cooperation in making these pcmular concerts possible has been much appreciated by the festival organisers.”]