2011 - Semester One

2011 - SEMESTER ONE UNDER WRAPS The Music Department’s administrative offices in Sale Black House have been shrouded in scaffolding and plywood panels since February. A restoration and maintenance project has resulted in rotten timber being replaced, all windows have new sash cords and paint. This is one of the larger restoration projects since the original brickwork was plastered over in the 1950s. The professorial houses were built in 1879. New roof tiles to be fixed during July/August should see the exterior restoration project completed. Staff say it can’t come soon enough after the distractions of many weeks of paint smells, noisy work and latterly the depressive feeling of being imprisoned behind the solid walls. STAFF CHANGES New Faces In Semester 2 we welcome two new staff members: Andrew Deruchie, BA(Hons)(Western Ontario) MA(McGill) PhD(McGill) from Canada. Andrew’s areas of interest include French music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, analysis and theory, and the symphony and symphonic music. Andrew will be lecturing initially in MUSI 101, MUSI 220/320 and MUSI 223/323 in Semester 2. Jennifer Cattermole, MA(Otago) PhD(Macquarie) Special interests include place and identity, politics and policy, with an emphasis on contemporary Maori New Staff Members, Jen Cattermole and Andrew Deruchie with and Fijian musics. Julie Pedneault-Deslauriers, Assistant Professor at the University Jen will be lecturing initially on MUSI 104 and of Ottawa’s School of Music MUSI 228/328 as well as PACI 101 in Semester 2. During Semester 1 we have farewelled two staff members: Dr Dan Bendrups (Lecturer in Music from 2004) Latin American history. Dan was accepted a position at the Queensland Conservatorium also a member of the performing of Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia and left group Subject2change and as a us at the end of April. Dan’s teaching centred on trombonist took an interest in the his special interests in Popular music in the Pacific administration of brass performance region, Latin American music, and Spanish and teaching in the Department. Associate Professor first performances this year. The premiere took place Sue Court who, in the home of the poet, Diana Neutze, who wrote the in addition to her words for the songs. Disabled from MS, Diana had Music lecturing, commissioned the songs, and so the premiere was a was Associate special and moving occasion. The songs were then Dean Academic publicly premiered in Marama Hall by Rebecca Ryan, in the Division Tessa Petersen and John van Buskirk, in another of Humanities, Music Month concert. Anthony has had a number of has moved on to performances of his work around the country recently, further her career though at least three in Christchurch were cancelled in university due to the earthquake. One of these, featuring alumnus administration Tecwyn Evans as conductor, has been re-scheduled as Dean of Humanities at the University of for 2012, and features Anthony’s French Overture. Central Queensland at Rockhampton, Australia. Anthony’s Preludes for piano have been frequently Sue commenced her association with Otago performed recently, including several concerts given approximately 30 years ago as a PhD student and by John Van Buskirk in Dunedin and Hamilton, which moved on to casual teaching before accepting a included 10 of the preludes. Visiting English pianist, position of Lecturer in Musicology on the retirement Martin Roscoe, also played three of the preludes in a of Professor John Steele in 1995. Sue’s main areas of concert in the Adam Festival in Nelson. Other notable expertise were in renaissance lute music, early Italian performances include the Clarinet Quintet, performed opera, women in music and performance practice in by Amici, and Olinda, performed by Voices NZ. Renaissance and early baroque music. Sue was Head Anthony was involved in the first Chamber Vulgarus of Department from 2000 to 2005 and was promoted concert on March 26, playing his piano work Ashburn to Associate Professor in 2003. Sue’s final lecture Fragments, which he also recorded for a Music at Otago was on the MUSI 191 paper, Introduction Department CD. Chamber Vulgarus, an enterprising to Music, a paper that she was instrumental in collective of composers instigated by Kerian Varaine, designing. Sue is rightly proud of the legacy of also featured the works of students Tom Jensen, knowledge and interest she has shared with the many James Exton, as well as Mozart Fellow, Chris Adams. students she has met during her time at Otago and All compositions were released on a CD by Kerian, has no regrets as she moves on to the challenges of who was a student in the Music Department last year. her new position at Rockhampton and hopefully more time to enjoy performance guitar again. Terence Dennis The Department has been very fortunate to In February, Terence Dennis partnered soprano be the recipient of Sue’s generosity – she has Dame Kiri te Kanawa for her sell-out celebrity recital at donated a lute and arch lute to the department’s the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, collection of early instruments as well as to great acclaim; they continue their partnership later many text books from her personal library. in the year with recitals in Hawaii and Melbourne. Terence was once more on the staff of the Summer STAFF NEWS National Singing School in Napier, presented lecture recitals on Liszt and Wagner for the NZ Wagner Anthony Ritchie Societies in both Wellington and Dunedin, and Anthony had the unusual experience of having a played for stage two baritone Kawiti Waetford, whom composition he wrote 30 years ago performed for he mentors, when Kawiti received the prestigious the first time by the NZ Symphony Orchestra, in Ngarimu Maori Battalion Scholarship in the their ‘Made in New Zealand’ concerts in Wellington Great Hall of Parliament Buildings in Wellington. and Auckland. A Shakespeare Overture was In June Terence has been invited once more to the written when Anthony was a student a Canterbury World Piano Conference of EPTA (European Piano University but had not seen the light of day until Teachers Association) in Serbia, where he is honoured now. He revised some aspects of the piece and to present the opening session, on the Busoni piano employed alumnus Ryan Youens to set the score into version of Liszt’s monumental Fantasy and Fugue “Ad Sibelius, the original having been hand-written. nos ad salutarem undam” for organ. This is specially Anthony’s new song cycle, Thoughts from an Inner chosen for the 200th anniversary year of Liszt’s birth. Garden for soprano, violin and piano, was given its John Drummond times the wittier aspects of Talking Heads. Downes John Drummond has been directing two one- seemed to have a great time – a tad bothered by act operas for Opera Otago, Pergolesi’s La serva the Sydney heat yet impressed by the Sunday night turnout. padrona and Salieri’s Primo la musica, in new The Verlaines latest album Untimely Meditations is due English translations he has made. The cast includes for release in late August. PhD student Andy Hirt and music graduates Emma Fraser, Claire Barton, Michelle Willyams and Julien van Mellaerts, and performances are being given in Oamaru, Port Chalmers, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Cromwell and Queenstown. Stage and Tour Manager is Theatre Studies fourth-year student Angela Band and piano accompaniment is provided by Julia Horsnell, music graduate enrolled in the Graduate Diploma specializing in Studio Music Teaching. During the mid year break, John Drummond was speaking to opera directors, composers, performers and critics in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Singapore and Hong Kong, conducting interviews as part of his research project on a Sustainable Future for Opera. The project is asking opera practitioners how they see the future of the art-form, Tessa Petersen and Heleen Du Plessis had the and it’s a project in a world-wide investigation into opportunity to demonstrate their virtuosity and their sustainable futures for a whole range of musics. friendship in a performance of the Brahm’s Concerto Graeme Downes for Violin and Cello, with the Southern Sinfonia, Graeme started the year on tour with The Verlaines conducted by Simon Over, in April. Letters to the (including Alumni Chris Miller (bass), Tom Healy Editor described this performance as “stirring” and (guitar) and Darren Stedman (drums) performing mention was made of the collaboration between at Annandale and on this same tour they supported the two during this cello-violin dialogue which Blonde Redhead at the Sydney Opera House. they successfully “infused with drama, tenderness and vigour.” One correspondent noted “It is a Live Review plus Photos from DOUBTFUL difficult work for the two soloists, the orchestra SOUNDS… and the conductor. Their performance deserves The Verlaines & Songs @ Annandale, Sydney 30/01/11 the highest praise.” A near capacity audience written by Chris Familton reacted with enthusiastic and prolonged applause. The Verlaines formed around 30 years ago in New Zealand and wrote some classic songs like Death & The Maiden, Doomsday and C.D., Jimmy Jazz & Me. Graeme Downes went on to be a professor [not yet] of music at Otago University – still writing and recording albums both solo (the brilliant Hammers & Anvils) and more recently Pot Boiler and Corporate Moronic. Playing a rare (if not their first?) Sydney show the band was clearly a group of young ‘uns that Graeme had brought into the Verlaines fold. The guitarist in particular was damn impressive, throwing off Television licks and accents like they were shrugs of the shoulders. Downes meanwhile was the clear centre of attention, dipping into the early 80s back catalogue for songs like the now seminal Death & The Maiden as well as highlighting the strength he possesses in his songwriting with the more recent Tessa Petersen and Heleen Du Plessis with conductor,Simon Over works.

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