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This Musical Life with Yuzhang Wu
Yuzhang Wu is a Year 12 student at Auckland's Pinehurst School and first prize winner of the 2023 New Zealand National Concerto Competition. Widely recognised as one of the most outstanding young pianists of her generation, she will be performing at St. Andrew's on the Terrace on Saturday 27 May and I asked her if she could tell us all about her musical life.
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Interview with debut author Josie Shapiro
Josie Shapiro's debut novel, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, is the winner of the inaugural Allen & Unwin Commercial Fiction Prize. Published on 16 May, it tells the story of Mickey Bloom: five foot tall, dyslexic and bullied at school, Mickey knows she's nothing special. Until one day, she discovers running.
I sat down with Josie to talk about the book, what winning such a prestigious award means to her and pre-debut nerves.
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Interview with Josh Thomson
Comedian, actor and television personality Josh Thomson is probably best known for winning Taskmaster and Celebrity Bake Off, and his regular appearances on 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention and The Project . This month he's bringing his unique brand of stand-up to the New Zealand International Comedy Festival with his first hour-long show, Horrible Man.
Josh sat down with me - ARTicle's editor, Kate - ahead of launching the season to tell us about the show, some career highlights and just how horrible he really is.
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This Theatrical Life with Harriet Prebble and James Cain
Produced by Red Scare Theatre Company, The Coven on Grey Street is a new play offering a comedic riff on Macbeth's witches starring Helen Moulder, Irene Wood, Hilary Norris and Peter Hambleton.
Ahead of their opening night at Circa Theatre on 29 April, ARTicle dropped in on a rehearsal for a quick chat with playwright James Cain and director Harriet Prebble.
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Interview with Cameron Barclay
Taking the impressive title of the world’s longest running classical crossover act, the Ten Tenors have been a concert experience since 1995 - with music featuring breathtaking ten part harmonies that have been enjoyed by more than 90 million people worldwide. They have shared the stage with such icons as Lionel Richie, Rod Stewart, Andrea Boccelli, Willie Nelson, Alanis Morissette and Christina Aguilera and released 15 albums, selling more than 1.2 million.
The Ten Tenors are in the midst of a nationwide tour of New Zealand, and one of the longest-standing members, Cameron Barclay, just happens to be New Zealander. Cameron took some time out of his busy schedule to talk to ARTicle about his extensive artistic background, journey to join the group and to give us the skinny on the current tour.
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Meet the Makers: Andrea Sanders of Cringeworthy
Following on from Cringeworthy the ’70s and ’80s, Andrea Sanders is bringing this tribute to Kiwiana music and culture in the ’60s to Circa Theatre in April.
Along with homegrown hits, Cringeworthy features favourites from iconic overseas acts such as The Beatles, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, The Seekers, Nancy Sinatra and more in a musical journey that takes us back to a time so vastly different to today.
Just in time for Cringeworthy's opening night on 1 April, director and creator Andrea Sanders answered some questions for ARTicle.
Cringeworthy will be performed at Circa Theatre 1-29 April. You can purchase tickets here.
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Five Questions About Tūtira Mai with Kirsten Te Rito and Toni Huata
Featuring some of Aotearoa's hottest artists, the Tūtira Mai - Cyclone Gabrielle Relief Concert was born to support whānau, hapū, iwi and hāpori from the devastating effects of Cyclone Gabrielle. The community have all been affected many are still isolated without power, communications, clean water and basic resources. Many have lost their homes, marae, kura, livelihood and some their lives. The restoration has begun but it will take years to recover. The proceeds raised this night will be given to Ngāti Kahungungu Iwi Incorporated to distribute throughout the Hawke's Bay, Wairoa, Wairarapa and East Coast affected regions.
We spoke to Toni Huata and Kirsten Te Rito about the concert on and what else people can do to help.
Tūtira Mai will be held at Pipitea Marae from 5pm - 8pm on Sunday 19 March. You can purchase tickets here.
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Five Questions about Lucia Di Lammermoor
With Wellington Opera's production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor opening in mid-March, we spoke to director Sara Brodie and Maestro Tobias Ringborg about the production, and to Wellington Opera's Artistic Director Matthew Ross about the accessibility of opera.
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Meet the Makers: Aro and He Wai
He Wai is a collection of waiata celebrating the marine life that live in the waters off the coasts of this beautiful country, along with award-nominated waiata about the native birdlife of this land. Husband and wife duo Emily and Charles Looker, who perform under the name Aro, took some time to talk to us about the whānau-friendly show they will present in the 2023 Auckland Arts Festival.
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