So, we know that Whakatipu Music Festival musicians are in town. The festival kicks off on Friday. What must the artists be doing for those few days in between?

Rehearsals and Community Outreach!

• Thomas Brown Gallery played host to a teacher training talk followed by an open class led by professional artists. Community invitations to music teachers and students seeking to up their game and learn from the best gathered together a joyful crowd. Collaborative participation from all sides led to a wonderful sharing of knowledge.

Special thanks to Ruth Stilwell and Kinga Krupa for speaking on behalf of IRMTNZ Otago Branch. We also thank Stephen De Pledge and Jonathan Cohen, for offering their teaching expertise as professional classical musicians.

• Liger Academy handed over the keys to our Young Artists for after-hours access to their state-of-the-art school. A round of musical speed dating ensued, with small groups of artists playing together in every classroom. A great opportunity for them to meet and share together playfully, ahead of the serious weekend of performances to come.

We are so grateful to Liger Academy for their ongoing support of the Whakatipu Music Festival and for kindly loaning us their classrooms as our rehearsal space.