Rotorua Festival of Arts

Rotorua Festivals, Old to New

Rotorua’s 1^st Festivals were held 1966 -1970s, when the Rotorua Arts Society staged events, exhibitions 1946- and in the 1960s the Arts Ball was a regular annual event.

In 1946 a Rotorua Music Appreciation Group was formed by Mr James (Jim) Healy, an avid classical music fan who had just recently moved to Rotorua.

Mr Healy said that “up 70 people came along to the Music Appreciation Group’s monthly meetings to listen to classical music records” however once records became more available to numbers dwindled, this group became the Rotorua Chamber Music Society in 1955, this later became the Rotorua Music Federation in 1980.’

 In 1984, 1986 & 1988, FestivArt, was a popular event. See previous blog post 12 October 2017 

The next official Festival of the Arts was ‘Spellbound – Te Ihi Te Wehi’, Produced by: Monty Morrison and Asst. Producer: Nick Dallimore. Held 12^th January 2001-27^th January 2001. 

This new Festival of the Arts encompassed 4 events – Chamber Music Festival, Lakeside ENZSO Concert, Opera in the Pa and for the 1^st time A Capella Festival of Song.

Programme of the 2001 Arts Festival.

The Chamber Music Festival at the Convention Centre.  Jan 15^th 2001 - Jan 19^th 2001.

 🎶 Featured: Ogen Trio : Dimitri Atanassov, James Tennant & Katherine Austin with backup instrumentalists. Summer Music was commissioned by the Ogen Trio for their concert which launched the Rotorua Summer Music Festival in 2000.

🎵 St Luke’s Festival Orchestra 🎵Newly formed String Ensemble with players from around the B.O.P. Conducted by Joachim Atanassov ♪ Duo Deirdre Ions and Jan Tawroszewicz 🎵Soprano – Deborah Wai Kapohe, 🎵Mezzo Soprano – Kate Spence ♪ Violinist - Bistra Dimitrova 🎵Stravinsky’s The Soldiers Tale narrated by actor Paul Barrett 🎵Rotorua Youth Chamber Orchestra ♪ Goldner String Quartet from Sydney ♪

Lakeside ENZSO Concert:  20^th January 2001. 

🎶 Featuring: Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra with ENZSO ♪ Tim Beveridge🎵Margaret Urlich ♪ Annie Crummer ♪ Daryl Lovegrove ♪ Eddie Raynor ♪ Hayley Westenra ♪ Michael Barker ♪ Roger Rangitaawa ♪ Noel Crombie ♪ New Zealand National Youth Choir.

Opera in the Pa at Rotowhio Marae: 27^th Jan 2001

 🎶 Featuring :  Natasha Brown ♪ Paul Chappory ♪ Brandon Pou ♪ Terri Williams ♪ Bill Kingi, ♪ Ruakiri Fairhall   

                                           
A Cappella Festival of song: 27^th January 2001. 

🎶 Featured: “Idea of North” from their website - In short, a quartet of musicians, serious about their music without taking themselves too seriously.  Their instrumentation: voice (soprano), voice (alto), voice (tenor) and voice (bass), with a little bit of vocal percussion thrown in. They have a beautifully distinct sound and style, but they cross many musical genres: jazz, folk, gospel, pop, classical, comedy - exactly what you see and hear at a concert is difficult to describe.     

AND...                                                                         

Bijou : Vocal trio of Jane Pierard, Lynda Pipe and Viva Sahn offering Jazz lovers a Jam session & a Themed Dinner at the Millennium Hotel on 24th & 25th January 2001. 

AboutFace Productions.  Roaming Performance - from 19th to 21st January 2001.

http://www.aboutfaceproductions.com.au/street-theatre.html

Gait Productions Urban Safari show. 20th & 21st January 2001.

Out of Hand Productions - The Miss Muffet Show and Puppet Power at the Civic Theatre. 16th to 18th January 2001.

Celine Toner (from Scotland) performing as Shania Twain at the Civic Theatre 23rd January 2001.

IOV Folk Dancers 20th & 21st January 2001.

Toi Maori Aotearoa 'Beyond Tradition' exhibition at the Convention Centre 13th to 27th January 2001.

Suzuki Students Parade and Summer Camp for Strings Concert 13th & 15th January 2001.

Dancing in the Sky Windsock and Bunting Flag Art with Jill Walker & Brian Potiki.  

Information for this blog post from the Daily Post and Rotorua Library Archive Collection.