The living arts

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 10

The living arts

Get-together Maoris from all round the South Island will gather in Christchurch at the week-end for their annual cultural competitions, which will be held this year in the James Hay Theatre. The competitions, in junior, intermediate, and senior sections, will feature whaikorero (oratory), action songs, poi, haka, and traditional choral items. The winning groups in each division will receive a cup, and special awards will be made for the winners of each section— the most keenly contested of which will be Te Reo Aorangi for whaikorero, and the Kia Riwai Memorial Trophy for the team gaining highest points over-all. Competitors and their supporters will begin to gather in Christchurch on Friday, and the competitions will be held on Saturday afternoon and evening. Church services and. a social function will be held on Sunday. The competitions began in Christchurch, in 1965, and were organised by Miss Te Kiato Riwai, senior Maori Welfare officer for the South Island. After her death in 1967 local Maori cultural clubs formed a council to run the competitions, and this was given the name Waitaha (part of the Maori name for Canterbury). Later the competitions were taken over by a South Island Maori Cultural Council, which now arranges them each year in a different district. A highlight of this year’s competitions will be an attempt by an Aroha team on the poi record, which stands at 26 hours. This will be in the Town Hall foyer. Art guild A meeting will be held at 12 Ilfracombe Place, Burnside, tonight to discuss the formation of a branch in Christchurch of the New Zealand Guild of Artists Trust — the New Zealand affiliate of tile International Association of Art/U.N.E.S.C.O. The guild was formed early in 1974 in Auckland, with the aim of compiling and distributing information useful to artists. It has arranged exhibitions in Auckland and Queensland, and publishes a quarterly magazine, “New Zealand Arts Horizon,” aimed at

“bridging the gap” between artists, collectors, and the public. Pearline Ferguson, the liaison officer for the trust, will be in Christchurch for tonight’s meeting. Mozart? An ali-Mozart recital, including one work-which, some authorities maintain, was possibly not written by Mozart, will be given in the State Trinity Centre today by the Ham Wind Ensemble. The disputed work is the Divertimento for Wind Octet, KA226. One of those who favoured Mozart as the composer was Einstein, who believed it was written for the Munich Carnival in 1775. Today’s programme will also includb a Divertimento for two clarinets and bassoon, duets for French horns and flutes, and an unusual arrangement of the Adagio, K4ll, as a clarinet quintet by Keith Spragg, leader of the ensemble. This piece was written for two clarinets and three basset horns; Mr Spragg has rearranged it for four clarinets and a bass clarinet. The recital will start at 1.10 p.m. Three givers Three New Zealand artists, Peter Mclntyre and Maurice Poulton, of Wellington, and Jonathan White, of Whakatane, have contributed this year to the Crippled Children Society’s Christmas card selection. The paintings' include “Keri Keri,” by Mr Mclntyre, “On the Road,” by Mr Poulton, and “Mount Pollux,” ‘by Mr White. Mr Poulton’s painting was lent to the society by Dominion Breweries, Ltd, which has made paintings available to the society for the last six years. Sponsor The soft-drink division of Ballins Industries, Ltd, will b.e the major sponsor of the Canterbury Children’s Theatre production in November of “The Owl and the Pussycat went to See,” a musical play by Sheila Ruskin and David Wood, based on the verses and stories of Edward Lear. The show will be presented in the James Hay Theatre from November 19 to 27. —Derrick Rooney