Benefit concerts to ease arts bodies’ problems

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 18

Benefit concerts to ease arts bodies’ problems

Two Christchurch arts O ’anisations which have s . uck financial problems this year are promoting benefit concerts to be given in the Town Hall complex this week. One is the Christchurch Arts Festival, which found itself some $15,500 in the red after the festival in March, and must recoup most, if not all, of this before planning can start for the next festival, which is tentatively scheduled for 1980. The festival committee has obtained, free, the services of a number of wellknown Christchurch singers, musicians, and actors for a “Festival Fundraiser” concert, to be given in the Town Hall auditorium on Sunday afternoon. The Town Hall Board has entered the spirit of the occasion by making not only the auditorium, but staff as well, available at no charge to the festival committee. The other concert is a recital of chamber music, to be given on Friday night in the James Hay Theatre by the former Christchurch pianist, Maurice Till, on behalf of the Christchurch Chamber Music Society, which is in the red for $2500 this year.

The society has suffered heavy losses for two years, because of a drop in membership, and its reserves have been depleted. A loan of $6OOO from the Music Federation has kept it going, but no more money will be available from this source. Mr Till made the offer of a benefit concert last month, when he heard of the society’s plight. Unless it raises $2500 before the end of the year, the society will have only two options: severe retrenchment or winding up. Either would adversely affect both the quality and number of chamber music concerts in Christchurch. Like the festival committee, the society has found sponsors for its advertising, and it has also had its programme printed without charge. It has applied to the Town Hall Board for free use of the theatre, and a decision on this will be made tomorrow by the board at its regular meeting. In view of the offer made to the festival committee, the board is unlikely to refuse the Chamber Music Society’s request. The proximity of the two concerts is one of the those unfortunate coincidences that sometimes happen, and was appar-

availability Of theatres and artists.

The director of the arts festival (Mrs Helen Holmes) said she hoped neither organisation would be affected adversely. There was, really, no clash; the two programmes were of quite different types.

The date of the festival concert had been set some time ago at August 27, because that was one day when the auditorium was free. “Very long” negotiations with the Town Hall Board were held before the offer of free use of the auditorium was confirmed. “Festival Fundraiser” will open with a happy blend of nostalgia and the tunes of today, played by the Bob Bradford Big Band. Next, Malcolm McNeill will sing a bracket of “gentle jazz” songs, then the Southern Ballet Theatre company, 20 dancers, will present a new ballet, choreographed by Russell Kerr for the Southern Regional Arts Conference. This will be the first appearance of these young dancers on the big stage of the auditorium.

An item of special interest will be the performance of highlights from William Walton’s “Facade,” by Dobbs Franks and members of the Canterbury Orchestra, with Elric Hooper narrate ing the poems of Edith Sitwell. The complete work was presented in one of the orchestra’s subscription concerts a few months ago.

The programme will be completed by the whole of the Court Theatre company, who have given up their leisure time to prepare a programme of nonsense — riddles and songs by Edward Lear, Flanders and Swann, Spike Milligan, John Lennon, and others. Costumes have been lifted apparently at random from the wardrobe room, and the lighting man has been given carte blanche.

All the artists will perform without fee, and with the free use of the auditorium, and newspaper advertising sponsored by Christchurch businesses, the concert has clearly become a community effort. An unusual feature, according to Mrs Holmes, is that no critics have been invited. “All that is offered will be ex?erienced and enjoyed at irst hand by those in the auditorium. The generosity of the artists will be

of the audience,” she said. Mr Till’s recital on Friday night will feature a selection of the most popular works from the piano

repertoire. They include sonatas by Chopin and Prokofiev, two works by Brahms, and Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata.