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Who would have guessed that it was possible that the rowdy tourists who came here two summers ago are still upsetting all over again? This time it’s the bo
New Zealand Opera's 2020 production of Eight Songs for a Mad King. Photo: Jeff McEwan A letter from the board chairperson on Tuesday confirmed directors Murray Shaw, Rachael Walkinton and Witi Ihimaera had resigned. The news comes about two weeks after the company announced its newest production would be based on the saga of the so-called unruly tourists - a story that gripped the media in the summer of 2019 - in an effort to draw in new audiences and tell local stories. Renowned New Zealand tenor Simon O'Neill said, while he was not opposed to that remit, the topic was wrong.
News comes two weeks after production focusing on the saga of the 'unruly tourists' was announced.
Renowned New Zealand tenor Simon O'Neill said, while he was not opposed to that remit, the topic was wrong. "This is using precious taxpayer money, which could be used better elsewhere in our art form. The new director has promised reimagination of the opera and he is not delivering that at all," O'Neill said. He called poking fun at the group "middle-class snobbery" and said while he was not opposed to new and improved ways to grow the audience, the direction of the Opera company had gone downhill since the appointment of general director Thomas de Mallet Burgess in 2018. "He comes in with t...
Press Release – Friends of St David’s Trust Kiwi musicians have united in their bid to save St David’s Church, so it can be repurposed into a much-needed centre for acoustic music for all New Zealanders. They have gifted their voices and musical talent in a pre-recorded concert ‘To the Stars’, to be streamed from Saturday 29 May 2021. The virtual concert was filmed in the great hall of St David’s and features a star-studded lineup of New Zealand musical talent. It reveals the glorious interior and sparkling acoustics which make St David’s the ideal centre for music. Starring in ...