Billboard

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 26

Billboard

Teachers unite The inaugural seminar of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing (NEWZATS) was held in Wellington last week-end. . The association is being established on lines similar to associations in Britain, the United States, and Europe, to encourage the highest standard of vocal art and ethical principles in the teaching of singing in this country. Once established, further membership with the recently formed Australian Association. ANZATS, will be available to members. With assistance from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, Professor Dale Moore was in Wellington to conduct the seminar. He is on the staff of the school of music of the University of Indiana, and the president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in the United States.

Concerto competition

The preliminary sessions of the 1988 National Piano Concerto Competition are to be held in the James Hay Theatre on December 13 and 14. Twenty entries have been received from Auckland, Wellington, Upper Hutt, Masterton, New Plymouth, Napier, Christchurch and The adjudicator is Christchurch-born Jeffrey Grice, who is now a recitalist and teacher in Pans The final will be held on March 18, 1989. The adjudicator on.this occasion will be Professor Michael Brimer, Ormond Professor of Music in Melbourne.

Alice in Wonderland

The newly formed Kaiapoi Riverside Theatre will present “Alice in Wonderland” in the Kaiapoi Community Centre on December 9 and 10. The production will involve a cast of 27 involving people aged from seven years upward. Tickets are available from the Kaiapoi Borough Council.

XS Baggage

An unusual piece of theatre entitled “XS Baggage" will be presented by the Performing Arts Department of Christchurch Academy. The production adopts a model similar to the working process of the collaborative company “Common Stock” in Great Britain. Introduced by visiting tutor John Downie (who is at present dramaturg for South West England from his base at the University of Bristol), the collaborative process assured the development of characters of equal weight, thus solving the problem of providing satisfying roles for the six women and four men who comprise the present actor-training group at the Christchurch Academy. Over a period of five weeks, "XS Baggage” emerged from improvisation and character development exercises, and was thenl formally scripted by Mark Prain with assistance from'David Howard. From there, under Prain’s directionr rehearsals “proper” began. The show opens at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 11, and 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday at the Christchurch Academy. Seating isi limited. Admission will be by donation.

Ferner recital

Flute Player Anthony Ferner, formerly of Christchurch, and now resident in Sydney will be in Christchurch briefly during December, and while here will perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday in the Great Hall of the Arts Centre.

Anthony Ferner is a graduate of the University of Canterbury, and winner in 1972 of the National Concerto Competition in New Zealand. He was awarded a New Zealand Arts Council Bursary to study flute and conducting at the Guildhall School of Music in London for three years. He has taught extensively in New Zealand, Australia, England and Italy, and has held positions at both Canterbury and Otago Universities. At present he is a member of the Elizabethan Philarmonic Orchestra, active as a recitalist and conductor, and a regular examiner for the Australian Music Board.

Group shows

December is group show time for many Christchurch art galleries. Gretchen Albrecht, Grant Banbury, Joanna Braithwaite, Adair Bruce, Gary Collins, Jenny Dolezel, Neil Frazer, Bill Hammond, Richard Killeen, Quentin MacFarlane, Don Peebles and W. A. Sutton, join forces at the Brooke/Gifford Gallery until December 19. At the Peter Small Gallery, until December 14, are Kate Coolahan, Roy Dalgarno, John Drawbridge, Ralph Hotere, Beverley Neutze, Stanley Palmer, Grahame Sydney, Gary Tricker and Marilynn Webb. The Canterbury Gallery has drawings by Alan Pearson, Bing Dawe, Denise Copland, Doris Lusk, Eion Stevens, Els Noordhof, John Madden, Marian Maguire, Michael Smither, Ralph Hotere, Raymond Jennings, Roger Hickin, Stephen Gleeson, Sue Cooke, Tom Mutch, Trevor Moffitt, and Wendy Wadworth. That exhibition runs until December 18. The Jonathan Jensen Gallery’s Great Christmas Sellout Show includes works by Richard Reddaway, Michael Armstrong, Di French, Gail Wright, Linda James, Megan Jenkinson, Fiona Pardington, Pauline Rhodes, Grant Lingard and Neil Dawson. The exhibition runs until December 23.