Upbeat

Levi Patel’s intimate compositions are set for release on his new album Affinity. He explains how he injects so much emotion into them, and what he hopes the audience will get out of listening. Read more Video, Audio

Wellington's legendary all female group The Beat Girls is celebrating 21 years with a new show All Grown Up. Founded by Andrea Sanders, the group has been called "as iconic as the Wellington Bucket… Read more Audio

Grammy award winning mezzo soprano Michelle DeYoung makes her debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra this week with Elgar's Sea Pictures. The song cycle is part of Music Director Edo de Waart's… Read more Audio

Anna-Marie Alloway first picked up a cello at age 3, so it’s no surprise that she went on to play cello with the NZSO-NYO and most recently participated at the Adam Chamber Music Festival. She’s now… Read more Audio

Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir with Madeleine Pierard and Auckland Chamber Orchestra presented Passio featuring works of six composers including Jack Body and Dame Gilliam Whitehead. The Auckland… Read more Audio

Women are funny. Full stop. That’s what Hens’ Teeth is all about. It began 30 years ago, when female comedians were considered to be as scarce as hens’ teeth. Women, from all walks of life, and… Read more Audio

As we get older many of us see drawing as something only children do. But its power to communicate and impact on art and the national psyche is something British cartoonist Steve Bell knows only too… Read more Audio

BBC Broadcaster Dr Paul Oestreicher, originally from Dunedin, has many fond memories of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.  He attended a National Orchestra concert in the southern city, and that… Read more Audio

Expanding audiences for classical music and opera is at the heart of two upcoming events. Next weekend opera is coming to Cuba Street as part of the Cubadupa Festival in the form Stravinsky’s Renard… Read more Audio

Big literary names have been announced for the Auckland Writers Festival, which is being touted as the most expansive in its 18 year history. Detective novelist Scot Ian Rankin, Booker prize winner… Read more Audio

Classical purists might not enjoy it, but the crowd at last night’s L’Arpeggiata concert soaked it in. Peter Hoar reviews the performance, as part of the Auckland Arts Festival, by the European group… Read more Audio

Swiss-based violinist Simone Roggen, who has been busy touring the world as a soloist and concertmaster, is back on home soil. This weekend she’s performing Bruch’s violin concert no 1 in G minor with… Read more Audio