This month the Music and Dance Library celebrates the Auckland Arts Festival (8-25 March). This year’s festival includes a wide variety of local and international performances and exhibitions, and includes performances by current and former staff and students from Creative Arts and Industries. Our display focuses on a few of the artists and works being performed during the festival, and the related material in our collection.

One of the most acclaimed musical artists performing during the festival is The King’s Singers. Now in their 50th year they have an extensive discography of recordings, many of which are held in the Music and Dance Library or available from the Naxos Music Library database. At the Festival they will be appearing with the Voices of New Zealand chamber choir, which features current and former School of Music students and staff including conductor Dr Karyn Grylls, and singers Dr Morag Atchison, and Dr Gregory Camp. During this concert both groups will be performing traditional and contemporary works including one by composition lecturer Dr Leonie Holmes. Additionally, they will also be conducting a public Masterclass and Q&A at the School of Music.

There is also a wide range of dance at the festival. From acclaimed choreographer Akram Kahn and his audacious reimagining of the classic romantic ballet Giselle in the cloth factories of 19th century Manchester and the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s premiere season of The Piano: The ballet (based on Jane Campion’s award-winning film), to Auckland alum Michael Parmenter’s new work, and much more. As the Music and Dance Library, we have a wide range of dance books and DVDs in the library. Some of Kahn’s works are also available on the Dance in Video database including his contemporary work The Six Seasons.

Also on display is material from Leonard Berstein’s Candide, recordings by From Scratch, who are presenting a survey exhibition and performances at Te Uru Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, and much more.

So if you’re going to anything music and dance related at the Festival over the next few weeks and want to know more about the artists/works and what else there is like it, come down to the Music and Dance Library and delve into our collections.

Music and Dance Library