Upbeat

Australian composer Brett Dean wrote Fire Music in response to the disastrous ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires of 2009 in Victoria. He’s here to conduct the work with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra… Read more Audio

Globe-trotting conductor Marc Taddei returns to the capital to lead Orchestra Wellington in their performance of Stravinsky’s ballet Petrouchka this weekend. The colourful piece is accompanied by new… Read more Audio

Acts from home and abroad will congregate in February for the third annual Coastella on the Kapiti Coast. Named artists include The Black Seeds, Nadia Reid, Louis Baker, and Rhombus in Dub. But what… Read more Audio

Classically trained cellist Maya Beiser is all about adding her touch to the classics, from Bach to rock classics by Led Zepplin and Nirvana. The Yale educated musician, who was raised on a kibbutz… Read more Video, Audio

Pianists Tony Chen Lin and Jun Bouterey-Ishido are adding a bit of fun into their piano performances by presenting pieces written for one piano and four hands. Works include Kurtág's “Games”… Read more Audio

Jonathan Bielski is bringing a different flavour to next year’s Auckland Arts Festival as he steps into the Artistic Director role. The well respected and highly experienced administrator and… Read more Audio

Internationally renowned pianist Joyce Yang opened her tour of the country with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Friday night. She performed the… Read more Audio

Ten New Zealand Aria Competition finalists performed to a full house in Rotorua with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Johannes Fritzsch. Baritone Jarvis Dams, who was a Lexus Song… Read more Audio

The New Zealand Aria Competition is the largest of its kind in the country and one of the most prestigious in Australasia. Australian vocal coach Sharolyn Kimmorley co-judged the competition with… Read more Audio

When Ian Lyons, a renowned luthier passed away suddenly, there was a big gap left in the community. But with a bit of encouragement David Hume has moved from London to Wellington to fill the big shoes… Read more Audio

Music brings colour in many forms for pianist Joyce Yang. The synesthete sees colours when she plays music and says music stimulates an intense visual sensory experience for her. She explains how… Read more Video, Audio

What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on? Just imagine that, but a lot worse, and on stage in front of hundreds of people. Dating, in particular through the app Tinder, is the inspiration behind the… Read more Audio