Nelson's three-week festival

Press, 9 August 1977, Page 23

Nelson ' s three-week festival

From BARRY SIMPSON Nelson is not unknown in cultural circles for its contributions to many art forms, but for the first time, during the district’s first Arts Festival, the organisers are going to “get it all together.” For three weeks, from August 13 to September 3, Nelson city venues will be used for a wide variety of cultural activities. These

range from pottery and photographic exhibitions to stage shows, a film festival, ballet, and jazz concerts.

The festival is being organised by the Nelson Public Relations Office and the Nelson Community Education Service. If it is as great a success as the committee is determined it should be, Nelson city could well live up to the title the committee is giving it as the “Art Centre of New Zealand.” The programme is as varied as it is extensive and the three weeks are packed with activities. The programme includes the second week of the Nelson Operatic Society’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” produced by Duncan Whiting, of Blenheim. This is one of the most expensive productions ever undertaken by the society.

The festival will be opened by the chairman of the Queen Elizabeth If Arts Council (Mr Hamish Keith) and it is hoped the Governor-General (Sir Denis Blundell) will attend the festival at some stage. Among the artists and organisations from other centres who are to take part is the playwright, Bruce Mason, of Wellington. In the second week (August 22-28) he will perform in the Theatre Royal “Not Christmas but Guy Fawkes” and “Courting Blackbird.”

An overseas attraction will be the Tudor Choristers (Melbourne) in the third week. Others from outside Nelson will be the Auckland Junior Symphony Or-

chestra, the Southern Ballet Company (Christchurch), Blerta, the De La Tour Opera group, and the Impulse Dance Company from Wellington.

The Suter Gallery will cater for the visual arts. Among these are an exhibition by the inter-nationally-famous New Zealand photographer Brian Brake, recently

shown in Christchurch, New Zealand and Nelson pottery, portrait-painting competitions, and chil-

dren’s art. Craft potters from Nelson will hold an exhi-

bition as well as a display of tiles in the Chez Eelco Gallery.

The Nelson Polytechnic will be opened to the public during the first festival week, and hobbies

will be featured in the first week at Melrose, the beautiful old house bequeathed to the city.

Various arts and crafts will be on display there in the final two weeks.

A special work by David Griffin has been commissioned and is to be

sung by Geoffrey Coker at a concert of twentiethcentury vocal music in the first week.

Other performers will include the Nelson Male Voice Choir, the Nelson Municipal Band, the Gilbert and sullivan Trio, the Lorican Singers, organ recitals, mainstream jazz, folk music, and chamber music.

There is special children’s entertainment, ballroom dancing, rock concerts —in fact something for everyone.