Archive for May, 2008

Alda Rezende is, in my opinion, a national treasure, both ours and Brazil’s. Last night’s concert in Wellington, with a trio of musicians from her home town of Belo Horizonte, was a delight.

Brazilian music isn’t just batucada drumming, samba shouting or bossa nova crooning. It’s all of that and a whole lot more. Each region has its own styles and traditions, and they borrow from each other and from everyone else. Not least The Beatles.

The four Minheiros who played last night offered songs from Pernambuco to Rio, including classics by some of the great names in the popular music of Brazil - Baden Powell, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque, Chico Science - alongside originals. It’s all about melody, rhythm, tone and timbre, with lyrical fervour and performances that delight in their total accomplishment. I love this stuff, it’s irresistable, couldn’t stop my white-bread feet tapping.

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Calling all artists! Entries are now open for 17th Annual Wallace Art Awards 2008 and you’ve got until 5pm on 7 August 2008 to get your entries in. These prestigious awards, run by The James Wallace Arts Trust, are now in their 17th year. This year the judges are Linda Tyler, Dick Frizzell and the 2007 winner James Robinson (see image).

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Entries are open for the 11th annual NBR Awards for Sponsorship of the Arts. Art sponsors have until 29 May to enter. Now in their eleventh year, the Awards acknowledge those partnerships between business and the arts that demonstrate a high level of creativity, commitment and vision, as well as important business benefits.

To be eligible, companies must have sponsored an arts event or organisation in the year to June 2008.

The winners will be announced by the Prime Minister at the black tie Awards Gala dinner at the Auckland Town Hall, Wednesday 30 July 2008. You can get your entry form at www.bulletpr.co.nz

‘”Ka mate ka ora”, our nation’s fierce battle cry, frames Helen Pearse-Otene’s new play about the Vietnam War. Premiering on 21 May at Capital E in Wellington, Ka Mate Ka Ora is a story of aftermath and reconciliation specially commissioned by Tribute 08 – A Vietnam Commemoration and Te Rakau Hua o Te Wao Tapu Trust.

‘This isn’t the first time Pearse-Otene has written about war. She was responsible for 2006’s powerful Battalion which took the story of World War Two’s 28th Maori Battalion to schools all over New Zealand….’

Read the newest NZLive.com featured article.

‘Small-town Gore – until now mostly famous for its annual country and western music festival – is rocking to a different beat and humming up a world-class reputation for fine arts.

‘Visitors are being drawn to the farming town, 150km south west of Dunedin, to soak up the cutting-edge displays at the Eastern Southland Gallery – nicknamed the Gore-ggenheim after the somewhat more famous New York institution….’

Read the newest NZLive.com featured article.