Tag: music

Review: de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz – a triptych of works circling heartbreak, grief and the macabre

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Nick Harte reviews de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Benjamin Northey, at the Douglas Lilburn Auditorium in the Christchurch Town Hall, Saturday 1 August 2026. Eve de Castro-Robinson’s Hour of Lead (2024) takes its namesake from the Emily Dickinson poem which reads: After great pain, a formal feeling comes… Continue reading Review: de Castro-Robinson, Mahler, Berlioz – a triptych of works circling heartbreak, grief and the macabre

Review: Stars Lyttelton – the best talent quest in town

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Charlotte Thornton reviews Stars Lyttelton, presented by Shay Horay and friends as part of the Lyttelton Arts Festival, at The Loons, Saturday 11 July 2026. TV used to be awesome. On ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes, a regular person would get awkwardly interviewed before disappearing into a cloud of smoke and re-emerging dressed as a… Continue reading Review: Stars Lyttelton – the best talent quest in town

Review: Kiri and Lou in Concert – It’s cool to be kind

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Erin Harrington reviews Kiri and Lou in Concert, presented by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vincent Hardaker, at the James Hay Theatre at the Christchurch Town Hall, Thursday 9 July, 2026. If you spend time around young children, chances are you already have stopmotion animated children’s show Kiri and Lou in your life. If… Continue reading Review: Kiri and Lou in Concert – It’s cool to be kind

Review: Lumen Ensemble’s Colours of Time – luminescence and catastrophe make for a revelatory combination

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Headshots of the four members of the Lumen Ensemble

Nick Harte reviews Lumen Ensemble: Colours of Time, with works by Holly Harrison, Maurice Ravel and Olivier Messiaen  presented by Christopher's Classics at The Piano / Pīpīwharauroa: Kui-kui whitiwhiti ora, Friday 17 April 2026. The Lumen Ensemble’s clarinetist Lloyd Van’t Hoff proudly proclaimed that his favourite thing about Christchurch is PAK’nSAVE, which was not the… Continue reading Review: Lumen Ensemble’s Colours of Time – luminescence and catastrophe make for a revelatory combination

Review: The Feast – sumptuous, emotional storytelling through dance, monologue and music

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Erin Harrington reviews The Feast, directed by Fleur de Thier and Renee Ryan and created with the cast, at Lyttelton Arts Factory, Friday 6 February, 2026. The return season of Fleur de Thier and Renee Ryan’s stunning 75-minute performance work The Feast is set at a long black banquet table, which is backed by a… Continue reading Review: The Feast – sumptuous, emotional storytelling through dance, monologue and music

Review: Running Into the Sun – a freewheeling call for hope in the face of crisis

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Erin Harrington reviews Running Into the Sun, presented by a2 Company, written and directed by Ben Ashby, choreographed by Nadiyah Akbar, designed by Asha Barr, composed by Lennox Grootjans and Toby Leman, at the Cloisters Studio at The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Tuesday 9 September 2025. The story of the terrific multidisplinary work… Continue reading Review: Running Into the Sun – a freewheeling call for hope in the face of crisis

Review: Voices of Ōtākaro – an adventurous and skilfully curated showcase of musicianship

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Graham Sattler reviews Voices of Ōtākaro, presented by UC Music, at the Great Hall at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, Sunday 17 August 2025, performed by Gabriel Baird, Zara Ballara, Naomi Ferguson, Jason Gong, Yumeka Hildreth, Naomi Hnat, Kyle Hsieh, Sára Kadas, Harry Kim, Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui, Mark Menzies, Angela Mote, Henry Nicholson, Johnathan… Continue reading Review: Voices of Ōtākaro – an adventurous and skilfully curated showcase of musicianship

Review: Spotlight Series – Alyssa Parkinson – an excellent, intimate night of story and song

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Sophie Ricketts reviews Spotlight Series: Alyssa Parkinson - Beyond the Ingénue, presented by Ovation Theatre at Volstead Trading Company, Saturday 19 July, 2025. Ovation Theatre is a company pulsing with ideas and enthusiasm to provide more local talent with more performance opportunities, more often. An admirable goal in a city that is bursting with dynamic… Continue reading Review: Spotlight Series – Alyssa Parkinson – an excellent, intimate night of story and song

Review: Songs of My Garage Party – a buzzy, aroha-filled night of story and song

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Erin Harrington reviews Songs of My Garage Party, presented by Henare "H" Kaa and friends at The Great Hall, Saturday 14 June, 2025. Henare “H” Kaa has invited us to join him and some of his mates at a garage party, but instead of freezing cinderblocks, a flash Dominator with an electric door, or a… Continue reading Review: Songs of My Garage Party – a buzzy, aroha-filled night of story and song

Review: The Māori Sidesteps – world class entertainment to warm your Matariki

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Erin Harrington reviews The Māori Sidesteps at the Great Hall, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre, Thursday 12 June, 2025. The Māori Sidesteps are expert entertainers with charisma to die for. They pay full-throated homage to legendary Māori showbands like the Volcanics, the Howard Morrison Quartet and the Quin Tikis, while weaving Māoritanga through… Continue reading Review: The Māori Sidesteps – world class entertainment to warm your Matariki