Academy Opera to miss festival

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 20

Academy Opera to miss festival

Christchurch’s Academy Opera will not be going to the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts in Wellington next year. A bid for major sponsorship to transport the Christchurch group to Wellington has failed. Roger Flury, a cofounder of the group, which stages concert performances of operas, said that while the sponsorship campaign turned up a sponsor for Christchurch concerts, Academy Opera could find no-one to help with costs for the festival.

Academy Opera had been invited to perform during the festival In the main festival programme.

The festival’s director, Michael Maxwell, said he was disappointed the Christchurch group could not perform. “We were looking forward to their contribution from Christchurch,” he said.

Mr Flury said Academy had gained the support of Tait Electronics to the tune of $5OO for each of its Christchurch concerts. “That ongoing support is very valuable. Obviously we are disappointed we cannot go to the festival but very pleased we have gained a local supporter.” . ’ . Academy Opera was still looking for sponsors to help defray concert costs, he said.

Michael Maxwell said the festival organisation was progressing well. The festival’s most expensive event?— the Rudolph Nureyev concerts — were already half filled. All of the most expensive $250 seats had been sold. “The ticket price reflects the cost of an artist like Nureyev. We have him as an exclusive artist in New-Zealand. People have not baulked at the price at all.” Priority booking for the Nureyev concerts is being given to Friends of the festival. Application forms for becoming Friends are available at several art outlets around Christchurch. .