Getting excited for public performances - some of the young artists put on an impromptu, flashmob style performance outside the famous Fergburger. A fun, light-hearted performance, had people in the Fergburger queue taking videos and stopping passerbys in their tracks. Even the Ferg chefs came outside for a listen! A fun way to finish off the artists Thursday rehearsals. And of course they were rewarded with world-famous delicious burgers courtesy of Fergburger!   Check shots from the evening…

This morning began with school visits. Introducing local kids to classical music, inspiring and stimulating kids to continue or pick up their own instrument.  Young artists April and Stefenie visited St Joseph’s Primary School, Shuan, Hazuki and Cecile went to Te Kura Whakatipu o Kawarau and composer Lucy Mulgan engaged with kids at the Liger Academy.  Stefenie introduced the kids to the clarinet, playing the ‘Peppa Pig’ theme song, which was met with much enthusiasm as they all…

And the week is underway!  Beginning with community workshops and young artist rehearsals, our professional and emerging artists have brought the Queenstown Memorial Centre to life with their beautiful sounds.  Our musicians began their day with rehearsals for their individual recitals before a professional development session hosted by professional artist Bridget Douglas. Coming together for the afternoon the young artists began rehearsing for their Young Artist Chamber Concert on Sunday with guidance from professional artists Robin Wilson, Andrew…

Our professional and emerging artists have touched down in Queenstown! Festival Director, Anne Rodda warmly welcomed everyone involved, compensating for a classic Queenstown southerly. Musicians, host families, sponsors and staff got the chance to settle in and meet each other before a jam-packed week of music. The excitement is growing as our musicians prepare to truly bring the hills alive with music.  Tomorrow kicks off the week with community workshops hosted by world-class professional artists. Join us this…

This year we have a dozen extremely talented emerging artists joining us for the festival. These young artists aged 18 to 28 have made waves both here in New Zealand and overseas. Although covid has placed some restrictions on them…. It means we are lucky enough to have them perform and engage with the community here in Queenstown! Most recently five of our young artists took part in the National String Comp etition and Lewis Eady National Piano…

And, just like that, the Whakatipu Music Festival is all finished for 2021. What a wonderful whirlwind of classical music! We are so lucky to have gathered such immense musical talent and music lovers together in Queenstown this long weekend. A true match made in heaven (or the mountains, depends how you look at it!) Thank you so much for joining us for this inaugural classical music event. Everyone's support counts massively towards our overall success, we thank you…

Sunday sunshine came for our morning Community Music Showcase. Stunning performances from a variety of ages, genres, and abilities - all talented and wonderful people! Continuing our celebration of music into the afternoon, our second instalment of Young Artist Recitals was a beautiful melody of sound. Into the evening, our Young Artists came together for a Chamber Ensemble concert. Professionally captured and recorded for posterity with the help of RNZ Concert, The Violin Channel, and TomTom Productions, relive…

Saturday 5 June saw Whakatipu Music Festival step into an all-day musical groove. Kicking off with our Community Music Showcase featuring local musicians in the morning! It's great to see so much budding musical talent of all ages and abilities from across the Whakatipu Basin. A lovely opportunity for youngsters to perform together and gain confidence on-stage. We look forward to seeing further community performances scheduled for Sunday and Monday at 9:30am - get tickets here! A lazy, rainy Saturday…