Musicians lose support

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 20

Musicians lose support

Since its inception in 1967, the annual National Concerto Competition has provided a show-case for talented young musicians and has been a step to an international career for artists such as the pianists, Christine Cumming and Michael Houston, and a clarinetist, Mark Walton. The competition carries considerable prestige and participation in it has opened doors for many pi the finalists. In addition, the competition" carries one of the richest prizes offered to young musicians in New Zealand. The future of the competition is now in grave doubt.

The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council has given formal notice that this year will be the last in which it will make a contribution towards running the competition. The Arts Council is not called on for prize money; the $lBOO in prizes for the first three place-getters comes from endowments from Christchurch rpusic lovers. The funds that have been provided until now by the Arts Council have gone to help defray the cost of running the competition, mainly the cost of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra with which the finalists perform.

Although this expense is a large part of the cost of running the competition, the use of the orchestra is important to the style of the competition and had been remarked on by more than one of the international judges that have been called on to adjudicate. The style of the competition is such that talented young instrumentalists are given th 6 opportunity to play, as soloists, a complete concerto of their own choice with a professional conductor and full orchestra in a professional concert setting: The use of the orchestra in the last finals in February, this year, cost the Christchurch Civic Music Council, which runs the competition, $7700. The $2OOO given by the Arts Council helped to meet this cost. To meet the rest of this and other costs, such as fees and the hire of an auditorium at the Christchurch Town Hall, the Civic. Music Council has relied on local body grants and gifts from the public. Even so, the last competition made a loss of $3500 that absorbed the Civic Music Council’s reserve fund. The decision of the Arts Council to withdraw its support has left the Civic Music ’ with little option; but to try' again. to. • find a

commercial sponsor. This has' already been tried without' success', but the Arts Council has said that if will help in renewed attempts to find a person or business prepared to back the competition with about $lO,OOO a year. Informing the Civic Music Council of its decision, the Arts Council confirmed that it will still make a $2500 grant to the 1982 competition. The grant is $5OO more than previously. It will be the last. The explanation given by the Arts Councilis that support until now has been given only reluctantly. Arts Council policy was not to support competitions, but the National Concerto Competition had been an exception because it was the only one of its kind. That distinction had been lost this year, the Arts Council said, with the advent of the Televisiori New Zealand-New Zealand Symphony Orchestra contest for young musicians.. . ■. The Arts Council’s argument does not take into-account the'fact that the new competition, which is being held for the first time this year, has not been confirmed as an annual event. It does not take into account the fact that the finalists in the new competition are selected from private, auditions; all entrants in the National Concerto Competition play in public concert before the three are selected to play with the full orchestra, it does not take into account the difference between a television performance and a live concert. The threat to the National Concerto Competition . will have consequences beyond a lessening of opportunity for the young musicians who would enter. Many of ‘ the finalists who used the competition as a springboard to a professional career overseas have returned to New Zealand from time to time and given their time, experience, .and knowledge to strengthen the musical sedtor of the arts. This spin-off ? will be reduced if the opportunities for artists to advance’ through competition in an internationally-recognised event are reduced. _ The decision of the Arts Council will seem strange to many people. It might be some consolation that they have been promised a 50-minute television film on the history of the'Anti-apartheidmovement in . New,.Zealand and last year’s Springbok .rugby tout The' film is being made with the assistance ofj a* $13,000 grant from the ? that was announced this week.