MUSI 462: ADVANCED WORLD MUSIC

THE EFFECTS OF A MAJOR DISASTER ON THE

MUSICAL LIFE OF A CITY

By: Andrew Moore

Student No. 63984601

Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of

Bachelor of Music with Honours

University of Canterbury

October, 2011.

Supervisor: Elaine Dobson TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page no.

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Earthquakes. 1

Chapter 2 The Loss of Performance Venues. 6 2.1 City venues after 4 September, 2010. 7 2.1.1 City venues after 22 February, 2011. 11 2.2 Suburban venues. 14

Chapter 3 Alternative Venues: The Financial Effects. 20

Chapter 4 The National Scene: The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra 23 4.1 September, 2010- February 2011. 24 4.2 After February, 2011. 24

Chapter 5 The Christchurch Orchestral Scene: Rehearsal Spaces and Other Logistical Difficulties: 28

5.1.1 Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, 4 September, 2010. 28 5.1.2 Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, 22 February, 2011. 28 5.2 Risingholme Orchestra. 30 5.3 Garden City Symphony Orchestra. 32 5.4 Canterbury Philharmonia Amateur Symphony Orchestra. 33 5.5 Orchestra of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. 33 5.6 University of Canterbury Gamelan. 34

Chapter 6 The Christchurch School of Music and its Associated 37 Organisations (including the Christchurch Youth Orchestra).

6.1 Christchurch School of Music. 37 6.2 Christchurch Youth Orchestra. 40

Chapter 7 Orchestras in Schools. 43 7.1 Chisnallwood Intermediate School. 43 7.2 Cathedral Grammar School. 47 7.3 Aranui High School. 50 7.4 St Bede's College. 52 Chapter 8 Disruption to Concert Schedules and the Financial Implications. 56 8.1 NZSO. 56 8.2 cso. 57

Chapter 9 The Choral Scene. 61

9.1 Christchurch City Choir. 61 9.1.1 Impact on Venues. 61 9.1.2 Disruptions to Concert Schedules after September, 2010. 62 9.1.3 Disruptions to Concert Schedules after February, 2011. 63 9.1.4 Administration. 65 9.1.5 Choir Library. 66 9.2 ChristChurch Cathedral Choir. 67 9.2.1 4 September, 2010. 68 9.2.2 22 February, 2011. 70 9.2.3 Difficulties Surrounding Rehearsals. 71 9.2.4 Logistical Difficulties. 72 9.3 Cecilian Singers. 73 9.4 Jubilate Singers. 76 9.5 Choir of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. 79 9.5.1 Sunday Morning after September, 2010. 79 9.5.2 Sunday Morning after February, 2011. 80 9.5.3 Other Logistical Difficulties. 81 9.6 South Brighton Choral Society. 82 9.6.1 After September, 2010. 82 9.6.2 After February, 2011. 83 9.6.3 After June, 2011. 84

Chapter 10 Personal Aftershocks: How the Earthquakes Have Affected the People Involved. 85

10.1 Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. 86 10.2 Risingholme Orchestra. 87 10.3 Christchurch City Choir. 88 10.4 ChristChurch Cathedral Choir. 89 10.5 Cecilian Singers. 90 10.6 Jubilate Singers. 91 10.7 Choir and Orchestra of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. 91 10.8 South Brighton Choral Society. 92 Chapter 11 The Recovery: Concerts Intended to Raise the Musical Spirits of Christchurch. 93 11.1 Christchurch Sings. 93 11.2 Fundraising Concert Involving Placido Domingo. 94 11.3 New Developments: The Christchurch Pops Choir. 96

Summary and Conclusion 97

Bibliography 102 INTRODUCTION

Whenever a major disaster strikes a populated area, the first thoughts of people who have been affected will, naturally, turn to survival. All else becomes insignificant. The personal safety of those nearest and dearest, of families, friends, colleagues, and even of perfect strangers, is all that matters in those first few days. However, once the immediate concerns have been taken care of- casualties laid to rest, injured persons treated, and material needs addressed -and people realise that they have survived whatever catastrophe has befallen them, thoughts turn more towards the restoration of normality. Familiar routines become important. They allow people a sense of security, something to hold onto. Many factors will impinge on a town's ability to recover, not least the ability of those in positions of authority to inspire people to take responsibility for their own recovery, and to co-ordinate the community's response.

Much will also depend on the socio-economic structure of the affected community.

By nature, New Zealanders are a self-reliant people. If something needs to be done, they will set to and deal with a situation. It must be acknowledged that not all nations are so fortunate in this regard.

The city of Christchurch, New Zealand (population around 348,400) 1 has experienced at least 33 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 and over in nearly 14 months since 4 September,

20102 and, in this paper I shall endeavour to show how one particular aspect of city's cultural life, that of classical music, has been able to recover from the setback. Far from

1 Statistics, New Zealand, as quoted on the Christchurch City Council web site. 2 Geonet, New Zealand, downloaded 25 October, 2011. being an elitist art, music is a universal language. It is practised, in one form or another,

the whole world over, and so by using the Christchurch experience as an example, I

hope to point the way forward for other communities, world-wide, who may face a

similar situation at some point in the future.3

The enormity of this project is such that I have had to restrict this essay to the

orchestral and choral areas. Other specialist fields, such as ballet, opera, chamber

music, solo recitals (instrumental or vocal}, and the work of private music teachers, will

be covered independently. It is also envisaged that the jazz and popular music scene

will be the subject of a separate study.

Fortunately, the media have provided excellent coverage of all aspects of the

earthquakes and how they have affected the city. Not a day has gone past in which

some quake-related topic- be it a report of further damage, a progress report on

recovery efforts, or some item of personal interest- has not appeared in the first few

pages of The Press, Christchurch's daily newspaper. Extensive use has been made of

these newspaper reports in the preparation of this essay and, where necessary, these

have been acknowledged.

3 A similar tragedy occurred, in Turkey, on 24 October, 2011. It will be interesting to see how that country copes in the months to come. 1

CHAPTER 1: THE EARTHQUAKES

The city of Christchurch, New Zealand, has always been home to a thriving musical life.

When our founding fathers settled in this part of the country, a mere 160 years ago, they brought with them something of the tradition of choral and instrumental music that they had become accustomed to in the towns of the Mother Country. Having left the hustle and bustle of life in Industrial Revolution England, where musical activities were often the only recreational pastime that people were able to enjoy, it was only to be expected that they would try to replicate the more pleasurable aspects of that life here in New Zealand. And so the whole range of musical activity, from the professional choir of the Cathedral Church1 to simple music in the schools, took hold on the

Christchurch community. Instrumental music, too, quickly established itself, and a number of orchestras were formed for the enjoyment of the players as well as the public. Some of these orchestras were semi-professional,2 while most were groups of enthusiastic amateurs. Thus, the standard of musical performance in Christchurch had risen to the point where the city could justifiably claim to be one of the leading musical centres in New Zealand. But Oh! How that has changed in recent months.

A major earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, struck Christchurch at around

4.35am on Saturday, 4 September, 2010.

1 The Choir of the Anglican Cathedral is fully professional. The boy choristers receive their education at the Cathedral School in return for their services, and there is money set aside in the Cathedral Statutes for the payment of honoraria to the gentlemen of the choir. I have served in both capacities. 2 Just as is the case today, there was funding provided through the Broadcasting budget for the establishment of regional orchestras. I am old enough to remember the Radio 3YA Orchestra in Christchurch in the 1940s and 1950s. 2

Many areas of the city, especially the eastern suburbs and the Central Business District suffered considerable damage. The infrastructure of the city was severely damaged, with services such as roading, power, water and sewerage, literally torn asunder. Any events that may have been planned for that Saturday, and the days that followed, were automatically cancelled. Who, among the population of Christchurch, would have considered going out? It was unthinkable. The whole city was in a state of shock.

As an immediate first-step, the central city was sealed off and all access to the area was prohibited in order to minimise the risk of personal injury, especially as there were many strong aftershocks in the days that followed.3 Some of the worst-affected buildings, that were considered to be dangerous, were demolished at that stage.4 The

3 Martin van Beynen, ‘After the Quake’ in The Big Quake: Canterbury, September 4, 2010 (Christchurch: The Press, 2010), p. 36. 4 Ibid. 3

general cordon was relaxed the next day, once a cursory assessment had been made, although certain areas remained fenced-off for longer.

The musical life of Christchurch was just beginning to pick itself up when the city was hit by another major earthquake at 12.51pm on Tuesday, 22 February, 2011. Although it was not as severe as the September quake (it measured only 6.3 on the Richter scale), it was far more devastating. The epicentre was much closer to the city, as well as being quite shallow (just 5.87 km deep) and so the damage caused was extensive. Many buildings which had sustained minor damage in the September quake, but were usable once repairs had been carried out, received extensive damage in the February one.

Some now face possible demolition. Other premises, which may be structurally sound, remain inaccessible because they lie within the “footprint” of large buildings that are to be demolished.5

5 Much of the archival material for my other research project this year is in Church House which is in the shadow of the 26 storey Hotel Grand Chancellor, a building that is scheduled for demolition. (See The Press, 26 May, 2011.) 4

The Earthquake on 22 February, 2011

Once again, the Central Business District of the city was sealed off and all access to the area was prohibited. This time, however, because of the loss of life and enormity of the damage,6 a cordon was set up that covered almost the entire area within the four avenues (see Map). Christchurch went into “lock down”, and a state of Civil Emergency was declared. The city was “back to Square One”, so to speak. Everything that had been done after the first earthquake had to be repeated. Once the Search and Rescue team

6 Earthquake, Christchurch, New Zealand: 22 February, 2011 (Christchurch: The Press, 2011) Ch. 3. Two commercial buildings in the central city area, the Canterbury Television building in Madras Street, just south of Latimer Square (where 116 lives were lost, 68 of them overseas English language students), and the Pyne Gould Corporation building in Cambridge Terrace, opposite the Edmonds’ Band Rotunda (which accounted for another 18 lives), collapsed in the earthquake. All told, 181 people died in Christchurch that day, and a further casualty died a day or two later as the result of injuries sustained. 5

had completed their work, all the buildings had to be inspected again to ascertain whether they were safe to enter.

As if this were not enough, Nature gave us all a further reminder that she had not yet finished with us by unleashing a further series of shocks on the afternoon of Monday,

13 June, 2011, all of which were centred at sea, very close to Whitewash Head

(Sumner). A quake, measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale, struck at 1.00pm, followed by a

6.3 magnitude quake at 2.20pm and a 4.9 aftershock at 2.40pm. What had been severely weakened by the earlier quakes this time came tumbling down, or became irreparable. Again, everything had to be reassessed.

Photo: Don Scott The Press ChristChurch Cathedral after the 13 June earthquake which destroyed the Rose Window above the west door 6

CHAPTER 2: THE LOSS OF PERFORMANCE VENUES

The musical life of any town or city is dependent upon the availability of music. It cannot just be whatever happens to be broadcast by the local radio stations, whether that be popular music that has almost universal appeal or the more “classical” and sometimes specialised style of music that can be heard on the Radio New Zealand

Concert Programme. There must be live music performances that will engage listeners.

Audiences that attend live musical events, whatever the genre, do not just remain passive listeners. They become an integral part of those performances, caught up in the feelings that are generated by the performing artists as well as by the music itself.

Attendance at a concert becomes a living experience. This, of course, works two ways.

Not only is the audience carried along by technical ability of a performer. The performer’s interpretive powers, too, are stimulated by the audience response. That is why we tend to go out to musical events, be they rock concerts in huge outdoor venues or chamber music in small, intimate surroundings. Music is intended to communicate, and this is the other side of the equation. Audience responses will usually encourage the performer to think more about what it is he or she is trying to express. It is precisely this challenge that lifts the performer to greater heights and which adds to the enjoyment of the experience. For this to happen, though, there need to be venues available that are suitable, acoustically as well as spatially, for these performances to take place.

It is no coincidence that symphony orchestras perform in large town hall buildings. That is what these buildings have been designed for. There needs to be ample space for the 7

sound to resonate, and yet still be heard in detail from a strong fortissimo to a hushed pianissimo. Without this sort of facility, orchestral performances could never hope to be successful.7 Recordings, no matter how good their quality may be, can never capture the atmosphere of the live performance.

2.1 CITY VENUES, AFTER 4 SEPTEMBER, 2010

As is the case in nearly all cities, most of the buildings that were used as musical performance venues in Christchurch prior to the 4 September earthquake, lay within the central city area. A map showing their location is given overleaf. After the quake that morning, buildings such as the Town Hall, the Anglican Cathedral, the Roman

Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, the Arts Centre (which includes The Great

Hall, Court Theatre, Society of Fine Arts’ Gallery, and Southern Ballet Theatre, all of which have hosted musical events, including orchestras), Theatre Royal, Maurice Till

Auditorium, the old stone Provincial Council Chamber on the corner of Gloucester and

Durham Streets, and many of the inner city churches that were sometimes used for concerts, were closed. This step was taken regardless of whether there was any apparent damage or not, and they had to remain closed until they had been inspected by structural engineers and certified as being fit for use. Once the necessary clearance had been received, and in most cases that was within a very few days, normal business was able to resume. Two notable exceptions were The Great Hall of the Arts Centre which remained unusable because a stone turret situated at the south-west corner of

7 This is not to say, however, that these conditions cannot be artificially created. Most orchestral recordings are made in recording studios that are nothing like the size of an auditorium, but they are purpose-built and engineered in such a way as to imitate the sort of results achieved in large-scale performances. With the sort of electronic enhancement that is available today, the atmosphere of the large concert hall is able to be replicated. 8

the building, adjacent to the stage, had to be removed, and the Roman Catholic

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The Catholic Cathedral had sustained considerable damage in the September quake and has remained closed since then. The only occasion on which it was re-opened was to allow the interment of the retired Catholic Bishop of

Christchurch, the Most Rev. John Cunneen, who died in November, 2010.8 Even so, this was carried out under very strictly controlled conditions.

Photo: June Barrett Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Damage immediately following the 22 February, 2011 (Subsequent aftershocks have caused further extensive damage)

Other buildings that were likely to have sustained structural damage because of the nature of their construction were also closed to allow for engineering assessment. One such building was the Christchurch Music Centre in Barbadoes Street, adjacent to the

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. This four-storied brick building, which had formerly

8 Several of the previous Bishops have been buried under a small side chapel within the Cathedral. 9

housed a Convent and Sacred Heart Girls’ College, but which had been converted into a centre for the teaching of music in Christchurch, sustained significant superficial damage, with portions of the building being declared “off limits”. The engineering report found that the building remained structurally sound, despite many of the internal walls showing signs of cracking. and so it was re-opened one week later, 8

September.9 Although the Music Centre building, and particularly the former Convent

Chapel (re-named the Maurice Till Auditorium) which was used as a recital venue, remained open, many people were reluctant to enter it. Audience numbers were significantly reduced and several performers remained decidedly uneasy about going back into the building. Indeed, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament choir and orchestra were just taking their places for a concert there on Saturday evening, 25

September, 2010, when three earthquakes struck within the space of five minutes.10

Location of the Maurice Till Auditorium

9 Sean Whitaker, General Manager, Christchurch School of Music. Interviewed in the CSM office, 1 July, 2011. 10Geonet reports: 7.58 pm a 4.0 quake 7 km deep centred Fitzgerald Ave/Tuam St/Clothier St, about 600 metres away. 8.01 pm a 4.0 quake 6 km deep centred Moorhouse Ave/Antigua St. . 8.03 pm a 3.4 quake 6 km deep centred Moorhouse Ave/Madras St, a mere 250 metres away. I sang for the entire concert, and so witnessed the event. 10

Location of the Maurice Till Auditorium

Because of the close proximity they felt much stronger than the official measurement would suggest. Such was the force experienced that chunks of plaster as large as a man’s fist fell from the ceiling, striking the conductor and members of the orchestra.

About one third of the audience as well as two or three of the performers immediately left the premises. Despite this interruption the performance went ahead, rather unwisely in my opinion as everyone was on edge, half-expecting another big shake which would bring the entire ceiling down. Yet, still, the building was declared to be structurally sound, and continued to be used.

2.1.1 AFTER 22 FEBRUARY, 2011

The temporary problems that arose after the September earthquake were exacerbated as the result of the quake on 22 February. Because of the level of destruction that occurred in the Christchurch Central Business District, and the ever-present danger to 11

human life, a safety cordon was placed around almost the entire area within the four avenues.11 While most of areas within the original cordon have now been re-opened, a cordon remains in place around the heart of the city. The area, commonly referred to as the “Red Zone”, is still, as at the end of October, 2011, considered to be too dangerous to enter. Outside the inner-city cordon, the Town Hall complex, which contains the main auditorium as well as the James Hay Theatre and the Limes Room, sustained severe damage. The southern wing of the building, reaching to the very edge of the

Avon River and housing the Limes Room and the Boaters’ Restaurant, almost became separated from the rest of the complex. Further large earthquakes, such as those experienced on 13 June, have compounded the damage and the future of the entire complex is now in question. The Caledonian Hall, in Kilmore Street, almost opposite the

Town Hall, has been demolished.12

Photo: The Press Demolition of the Caledonian Hall, in Kilmore Street.

11 This is the area generally thought of as being the city – the area bounded by Bealey Avenue to the north, Fitzgerald Avenue to the east, Moorhouse Avenue to the south, and Rolleston Avenue (i.e. Hagley Park) to the west. See map. 12 Christchurch Press, 12 August, 2011, p. 2. 12

The Arts Centre, incorporating all the buildings within the Worcester Street/Rolleston

Avenue/ Hereford Street/Montreal Street block (and especially The Great Hall) seems, at the end of July, 2011, certain to be destined for demolition. The Centre’s insurer

Ansvar has cancelled the insurance policy because the sum for which the Centre had been insured has been fully claimed.13 The two Cathedrals will, almost certainly, have to be rebuilt – possibly in different locations to westward of their present sites, where the ground would be more stable. As for the Barbadoes Street Music Centre, which includes the Maurice Till Auditorium, its death knell has been sounded. It was irreparably damaged in the June earthquakes and must now come down. (One section of the South wall has collapsed entirely while the remainder leans outwards at a precarious angle.)14

Furthermore, the owners of the land (the Sisters of the Mission) have now announced that the lease of the area has been terminated.15

13 The Press, 23 August, 2011. 14 The situation as at 31 July, 2011. 15 Sean Whitaker. 13

Photo: Elaine Dobson Maurice Till Auditorium, showing damage from the earthquake of 22 February, 2011. Subsequent aftershocks have caused further damage.

Inner city churches, such as the Salvation Army Citadel in Durham Street (which had been used for some University recitals),16 the Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, and St Luke’s

Anglican Church have been demolished. These buildings have all been used as concert venues in the past. So, too, has the old stone Provincial Council Chamber on the corner of

Gloucester and Durham Streets which was totally destroyed in the February quake.17

16 The Viva Voce recital by voice performance students of this university was held there towards the end of October, 2010, as a substitute venue for The Great Hall. The Citadel suffered severe damage in the February quake and has since been demolished. 17 I have attended small concerts in this building which, because of the stone work and exquisitely carved timber panelling, had very good acoustic qualities. 14

Photo: Carys Monteath The Press Damage to the Provincial Council Chambers

The Theatre Royal, while structurally sound and fully repairable, has suffered further damage above the proscenium arch which joins the main part of the theatre auditorium to the recently re-developed stage area. “This now requires a partial deconstruction18 and subsequent rebuild, as this part of the roof structure has not been weather-tight since ... February 22.” The theatre will remain closed until January, 2013 at the earliest.19

2.2 SUBURBAN VENUES The lack of suitable venues for recitals has not been confined to the inner city area.

Other suburban churches, especially those built of stone such as St Peter’s Church

18 The word used in post-earthquake Christchurch for taking a building apart, piece by piece, so that it can subsequently be rebuilt. 19 The Press. 18 July, 2011, p. A2. 15

(Upper Riccarton) which the university has used on occasions for orchestral and organ recitals, as well as for performance examination recitals,20 St Barnabas’ (Fendalton) and

St Mary’s (Merivale) are all closed for repairs. St Peter’s, in particular, possesses a fine new Rieger pipe organ which has sustained some damage from dust and weather. This cannot be overhauled until the building has been restored.21 The other churches mentioned are also experiencing difficulties in carrying out the necessary building restoration work.

It must, however, be remembered that the older stone church buildings were never designed for anything other than liturgical worship. While they may be used as concert venues they are seldom ideal. Rarely is there sufficient space between the sanctuary and the front row of pews to accommodate more than a handful of performers,22 while a church porch, designed merely as a sheltered entranceway to the church proper, can never function as a concert hall foyer. There is no room for audiences to gather during the interval (if there is one) or to talk after the concert if weather conditions are unfavourable. Likewise, most church vestries are not large enough for musicians to assemble and prepare both themselves and their instruments without the entire audience being aware of everything that is going on, prior to the concert beginning.23

Churches, too, because they are not being used all the time and are usually only heated

20 Edith Salzmann, Programme Co-ordinator (Performance), University of Canterbury. Interviewed at her residence, 16 Pinehurst Crescent, 31 August, 2011. 21 I am a parishioner. 22 This is not just a New Zealand problem. On a tour to the Baltic states with the choir of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament I sang the 2009 Christmas Day Mass in Vilnius, Lithuania, followed by a performance of Messiah. Since the front row of pews was screwed to the floor of the church and unable to be moved, choir and orchestra (13 players plus a small harpsichord) were crammed into a space that was no more than 5 metres deep, for Messiah. This was not helped by the insistence of the clergy that no-one stand on the sanctuary steps. 23 These difficulties are not confined to churches. The Great Hall is also totally inadequate in regard to backstage space with just one very small room available for performance preparation. 16

for services, can be hard on instruments, especially pianos. This rapid variation in climatic conditions, coupled with humidity, can cause the condition of an instrument to deteriorate more rapidly than it would in a more controlled environment.24

Since the eastern areas of Christchurch were particularly badly affected in the

September earthquake all possible venues on that side of town, with the possible exception of the Performing Arts Centre at Chisnallwood Intermediate School,25 have been unusable. So, too, was the Jack Mann Auditorium at the University of Canterbury

College of Education in Ilam, although this building was cleared for use from the beginning of July. Notwithstanding, the University needs the building for its Theatre and

Film Studies courses since the Arts Centre and the University Theatre at 120 Hereford

Street face demolition, and so availability to other organisations is limited.26 Another significant building on the outskirts of Christchurch that is no longer available for concerts is the Chapel at the St John of God Hospital in Halswell. This magnificent stone building with its exquisite stained glass windows once served as the spiritual home of a

Roman Catholic Order of serving brothers who devoted their time to the care of convalescents and the terminally ill. The Chapel was deconsecrated several years ago and was used, until the February earthquake, as a concert venue. Its resonant acoustic made it ideal for choral and small chamber orchestral concerts.

24 Edith Salzmann. One of the university’s grand pianos was on loan to St Peter’s Church. The idea was that the university could hold recitals there. Unfortunately, the condition of the instrument deteriorated (e.g. among other problems, the wood of the piano keys swelled, because of the humidity, causing the keys to stick) and when the instrument was finally returned to the university, it cost the Department of Music $20,000 to restore it to an acceptable condition. 25 Judith Bell, Head of Music at Chisnallwood Intermediate School. Interviewed at Chinallwood, 10 May, 2011. 26 Peter Molony, Recovery Manager, Canterbury University Vice Chancellor’s Office. E-mail dated 12 July, 2011. 17

With the loss of all these concert venues the question remains “What do we have left?”

Very little, it seems. Venues such as the Aurora Centre (the performance auditorium at

Burnside High School) and the Canterbury Building Society (CBS) Arena (formerly the

Westpac Centre at Addington Raceway, and originally built as an all-purpose Events

Centre) are probably the only large venues that remain intact. They are now fully booked until well into 2012. However, neither of them is really suitable, acoustically, for a symphony orchestra concert.27 Some new venues, such as Cashmere’s St Augustine’s

Anglican Church, which is being used for regular weekly day-time recitals as well as other concerts, 28 and the recently-opened (since February, 2011) 350 seat Performing

Arts Centre at Middleton Grange School, and the La Vida Conference and Community

Centre, both of which are in Upper Riccarton, are also beginning to be used. The Centre at Middleton Grange was designed as a theatre for drama productions rather than as a concert venue and the lighting there may have to be enhanced to enable an orchestra to perform.29 The La Vida Centre is a 4½ year-old, 700 seat auditorium belonging to the

La Vida New Life Church. It does, however, have its drawbacks. The stage area is not large, which restricts the size of the performing group and, because it was never designed to be a concert venue, the air-conditioning plant is rather noisy. Depending upon the nature of the concert this can be distracting for performers and audience alike. The Facilities Manager for the church advised that the venue is best suited to

27 Gretchen La Roche, Artistic Director of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Interviewed at University of Canterbury School of Music, 19 May, 2011 . 28 St Augustine’s seems to have taken over the role that the Great Hall at the Arts Centre, and the Maurice Till Auditorium used to fulfil. Some of the University’s recitals, in particular one by Canterbury Cellists, have been held there. (Edith Salzmann.) 29 Katrina Finch, Co-manager of the Christchurch Youth Orchestra. Interviewed at Avonhead Primary School, 12 July, 2011. 18

school groups and suchlike events where the background noise is able to be tolerated30.

Some concerts have been staged at the Elmwood School Auditorium in Merivale,31 although this venue is not always suitable for daytime concerts, especially at weekends.

It lies on the flight path for the sightseeing helicopters that take people who wish to view the damage to the central city from the air.32 The auditorium at Hornby High

School was used on 15 October, 2011, for the CSO family concert, Spike Milligan’s

Badjelly the Witch,33 while the Christchurch Youth Orchestra used the McCombs

Auditorium at Cashmere High School for its concert in May, 2011.34 The Canterbury

Philharmonia is still able to use the Auditorium at Villa Maria College (also in Upper

Riccarton) and the Executive Officer at Villa Maria has advised that this venue is now in high demand.35 A temporary concert venue has also been created with the erection of a large inflatable dome in North Hagley Park, and this has been used for various events, some involving music, such as “Kids’ Fest”, an event for children in the mid year school holidays, when the Christchurch Youth Orchestra played the Circus Symphony.36 Further afield there is the new Events Centre at Lincoln, some 25 kilometres out of Christchurch which, although it hosted a performance, on 18 June, by the Christchurch City Choir of

Missa Gaia,37 had not, at that point, been officially opened.38 Useful though these venues are, they can never be more than stop-gap measures. For all musical

30 Joyce Shakespeare, Facilities Manager, La Vida Centre. E-mail message 31 August, 2011. 31 This is the regular concert venue for the Garden City Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra’s planned concert was held there on 12 June. (Paul Russell, Orchestra Manager, GCSO. Responses to E–mailed questions). 32 Jubilate Singers recorded a CD of recently composed New Zealand music there on Saturday, 20 August, 2011, and the helicopter noise necessitated many retakes of each work in order to minimise the interference. 33 CSO advertising brochure. 34 Katrina Finch. 35 Executive Officer, Villa Maria College. Telephone call, 2.15pm, 18 July, 2011. 36 See also the section which deals specifically with the C.Y.O. 37 See also Chapter 9.1.3. 38 David Prior, Manager of the Lincoln Events Centre. Telephone call, 13 July, 2011. The official opening ceremony was held 25 June, 2011. 19

organisations seeking to present a concert it is simply a case of making do with whatever is available. Although venues might be available, they do not come cheaply.

There can be considerable cost involved. The financial aspect is dealt with in the next chapter, however.

20

CHAPTER 3: ALTERNATIVE VENUES: THE FINANCIAL EFFECTS

Venue hire has become a valuable source of revenue for some organisations, especially for schools and churches, but although commerciality may be important, most charge only a nominal rental, especially where persons involved with a musical organisation also have a strong association with the school or church.39 Generally speaking, schools and churches are simply happy to see their facilities being used. They regard it as being for the wider public good in a time of need. The amount of rental charged is usually just enough to cover expenses. As with any business, though, the greater the demand, the higher the cost could become. Most schools and churches are registered for GST, and so would have to pay the tax portion of the hire charge collected to Inland Revenue, but other than that they enjoy tax exemption as charitable organisations,40 and so the little extra revenue obtained from venue hire is generally used to help the church or school fulfil its primary function.

Some organisations have been severely affected, in a variety of ways, by the loss of their premises. A significant part of the Christchurch Music Centre’s income was generated by the leasing of space in the Barbadoes Street building to music teachers who had set up teaching studios there, as well as by the regular use of rehearsal rooms by various musical groups.41 In addition to that regular rental income, there was also

39 The use of the St Martins Presbyterian church hall by the Risingholme Orchestra; the Christchurch Youth Orchestra’s use of Avonhead School (see below),or the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Choir’s use of the music suite at Christchurch Boys’ Hugh School for rehearsals because the Director of Music also happens to be the H.O.D. of music at the school. 40 Bruce Williams of ‘Williams Accounting’, (formerly Diocesan Auditor for the Anglican Church in Christchurch). Telephone call, 7.45 pm, 26 August, 2011. 41 The choir of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament had a standing booking for the Don Whelan room at the Music Centre for its Wednesday evening rehearsal. 21

the casual hire of the Maurice Till Auditorium (the former convent chapel) for concerts, meetings and other functions. The regular weekly recitals that were held at the Music

Centre every Friday, at lunch time, are now being held at St Augustine’s Anglican

Church, in Cashmere. Essentially they are still the weekly Music Centre concerts. It is just that they are being held in a different venue. Any outside groups that may have hired the Maurice Till Auditorium on a casual basis can still arrange, through the Music

Centre to have the use of St Augustine’s. Whatever conditions applied for the Music

Centre, including rental and piano-tuning charges, continue to apply. Only the venue has changed.42

The Christchurch Youth Orchestra performed, earlier in the year, at the McCombs

Auditorium, Cashmere High School. For the use of this venue the orchestra was charged rental of $400, plus a bond of $300 which was duly refunded after the concert.43 Its latest concert, on 13 August, was held at the new Performing Arts Centre at Middleton

Grange School in Upper Riccarton. This venue was even more expensive than Cashmere

– $750 for the use of the auditorium only. An additional charge would have been made had any side rooms been needed. In addition to the fee for hire of the venue, the orchestra had to pay around $300 to have the piano tuned.44

42 Patricia Rainey. Telephone call, Friday, 26 August, 2011, 8.00 pm. Mrs Rainey was not willing to specify the amounts charged, particularly as they varied according to the type of event or recital that was being held. My understanding, from the conversation, is that Music Centre then pays St Augustine’s a fee for the use of the building. 43 Katrina Finch. Interview as recorded above, 12 July, 2011. 44 Ibid, 13 August, 2011. 22

In addition to these centres, the University of Canterbury charges a flat fee of $136, plus

G.S.T., per hour, for the use of the Jack Mann Auditorium at the College of Education, for concert performances.45 La Vida Centre, with its seating capacity of 700, charges a range of rental rates, depending upon the type and size of the event. Their top rate is

$325, plus G.S.T. per hour, which includes all the associated technical facilities and the staff to use them. There is no piano available at this venue.46

45 Frances Register, University of Canterbury Asset Management Services, telephone call, 30 August 2011. 46 Joyce Shakespeare, E-mail and follow up telephone call, 31 August, 2011. 23

CHAPTER 4: THE NATIONAL SCENE: THE NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

After all that has occurred since 4 September, 2010, and the fact that we have lived through these events, it is natural that we should concentrate on the local situation at the expense of the national picture. The disruptions that have occurred here have also impacted significantly on musical organisations beyond Christchurch, and none more so than on the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. As the country’s only fully-professional orchestra it remains the principal musical organisation in New Zealand, and as such deserves first mention in this essay. Although it is based in Wellington, it regularly visits

Christchurch. While the earthquakes have created minor problems, the orchestra’s concert schedule has not been interrupted.47

The two principal issues that needed to be addressed were those of performance venues and concert starting times. With the inner city hotels lying within the “Red

Zone” and, therefore, unavailable, accommodation in Christchurch is limited. To overcome this problem the decision was taken to start concerts earlier in the evening, usually around 6.00 pm, so that the orchestra members could return to Wellington straight after the concert. This decision saves accommodation costs, but it is tiring for the players. For example, after the Leningrad concert,48 on Thursday, 11 August, 2011, all the orchestra members returned to Wellington, with the exception of a group of 26 players, who were going on the road for the Back to Bach baroque concert series in

47 Christine Hainstock, NZSO South Island Representative. Interviewed at Canterbury University School of Music, 1 September, 2011. 48 NZSO 2011 Season brochure, p. 37. Appendix F. 24

Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru and Dunedin.49 (As events turned out, they could not get to Dunedin because of heavy snow.)50

4. 1 SEPTEMBER 2010 – FEBRUARY 2011 Since the Town Hall was still operational after the September earthquake, the orchestra was able to come and perform as usual. There was a concert on 18 September, which featured the percussionist Colin Currie (appropriately, given the circumstances) and, as a gesture of support for the people of Christchurch, this was a free concert. All costs involved were borne by the orchestra. The hall was packed and “there were people turned away”.51 [It was somewhat ironical that the Mayor of Christchurch, in a pre- concert speech, said that “should another earthquake occur during the evening, no-one need worry because the Town Hall was the safest place in Christchurch”.52 Little did he know.]

4.2 AFTER 22 FEBRUARY, 2011 When the Town Hall became unusable, as the result of the February earthquake, an alternative performance venue needed to be found. The only one that was large enough was the CBS Arena, in Addington. However, it was not available for the NZSO concert on 6 April, 2011 as it was still being used as a base for the emergency services

(fire, ambulance, etc.), and so the concert was held in the Aurora Centre at Burnside

High School instead. Even so, there were considerable difficulties that needed to be

49 Ibid. p. 24. 50 Christine Hainstock. A severe snow storm, which began on Sunday night, 14 August and lasted into Wednesday, 17 August, closed State Highway 1 north of Dunedin. 51 Ibid. 52 Ibid. 25

overcome when arranging this. The Aurora Centre was being used extensively, at that time, for funerals, especially of some of the quake victims,53 and so it was difficult to arrange a booking.54 The stage there is not large, but the orchestra was able to fit in.

Audience space, too, was restricted (700 seats) and so there was only really room for the orchestra’s subscription members. Consideration was given to the erection of a large outdoor screen for the overflow audience. It would have cost $15,000 and, should the weather be unfavourable, there would have been no outdoor audience. The decision not to go ahead with this proved to be a wise one, because the weather that evening was not favourable. Also Burnside High School was (and will be for the remainder of 2011) sharing its facilities with Avonside Girls’ High School. With the school day not finishing, for the Avonside pupils, until 6.00 pm, traffic movements in the

Burnside grounds, with buses taking children back to Avonside, would have made this impracticable.

Christine Hainstock, the NZSO’s South Island representative, was able to secure bookings for the CBS Arena for all the other concerts on the orchestra’s scheduled programme for the remainder of 2011 and also 2012, and so it is “business as usual” for the orchestra. Nevertheless, this has involved Christine in considerable work.55

53 With many of the city’s churches and other public buildings unusable, venues such as the Aurora Centre were being used for funerals, especially when large numbers of mourners were expected. 54 Christine Hainstock. 55 Ibid. 26

There has been no disruption to the NZSO’s nationwide concert programme schedule.

This has gone ahead exactly as planned, and will continue to do so, with the exception of one concert which was to have been held in Christchurch on Wednesday, 9

November, 2011 (see Chapter 8).

The acoustics at the CBS Arena are not ideal for a symphony orchestra. The NZSO is, therefore, most grateful for the assistance offered to them by the Palmerston North

Theatre, which has lent its ‘sound stage’. This is a set of sound screens that can be assembled, in a semi-circle, and placed behind the performers to create a sort of sound shell and direct the sound out into the auditorium.56 The stage is available for any

Christchurch organisation that needs to use it. Not only was Palmerston North kind enough to lend this, the Cook Strait ferries did not charge for the transport.57

Symphony orchestras must be mindful of their paying audiences. Without them, their existence would be pointless, and so it was essential that the orchestra’s subscribing members be considered. With the concert programme going ahead as planned, these subscribers were unaffected. The NZSO has ensured that they are being well looked after with free car parking, a voucher entitling them to a complimentary concert programme – normally they would pay half rates for their programmes – and a free glass of wine, which they would not have got at the Town Hall.58 The orchestra has always enjoyed good audiences in Christchurch, but since the earthquakes, numbers

56 Christine Hainstock. 57 Ibid. Christine was unable to recall which ferry company provided this service. 58 Ibid. 27

have increased. “People are hanging out for classical music, and a good concert takes their minds off whatever else is going on.”59 The CBS Arena is considered a safe building.60

59 Ibid. 60 It may well be, but as this paragraph was being written, a significant aftershock (4.4 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 7.5km, centred about 20 km from central Christchurch) occurred during a concert there on 4 September, 2011 (the anniversary of the first quake). Information obtained from Geonet. 28

CHAPTER 5: THE CHRISTCHURCH ORCHESTRAL SCENE: REHEARSAL SPACES AND OTHER LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES

Concert venues were not the only buildings to suffer damage. Most musical organisations were forced to look for alternative premises in which to hold rehearsals.

Suburban school and church halls were pressed into service as makeshift rehearsal spaces. Musicians made best use of what was available. Some organisations were fortunate in that the September earthquake caused little disruption to their operations, others less so.

5.1.1 CHRISTCHURCH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: 4 SEPTEMBER, 2010

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, for example, was able to continue as usual.61 Its

Administrative Offices and Music Library, housed in the Arts Centre complex, remained open and accessible, and the Jack Mann Auditorium at the University of Canterbury,

College of Education, the CSO’s rehearsal venue, was certified as being fit for use within a very short period of time. Not only was the Auditorium the orchestra’s rehearsal venue, it also afforded valuable space for the storage of instruments.

5.1.2 CSO: 22 FEBRUARY, 2011 This relatively happy state of affairs was to come to an abrupt end after the February earthquake however. The whole Arts Centre complex was evacuated at that point and the CSO Office remained “off limits” until around the beginning of May. The Office staff had no access to their library, to any of their records, or to their server, throughout this time. Once access became available the staff were able to recover their records and have re-established their office at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology

61 Gretchen La Roche. 29

(CPIT). They were not quite so fortunate with the Music Library. Everything had been boxed up and was ready to be removed when the June quakes struck,62 and so the library remains inaccessible.63 The orchestra’s rehearsal venue at the University College of Education had sustained more damage and needed to be closed for a period in order that the necessary remedial work could be undertaken. While this loss of rehearsal facilities was significant, the difficulties were not insurmountable. Alternative accommodation, even if it were not entirely suitable, could be sought, although it must be said that options available were few.64 What was far more important was the fact that the instruments, which had been stored in the Drama Workshop at the Auditorium, were unable to be recovered, at least not for some time. Gretchen La Roche, the Artistic

Director of the Orchestra, stated that “they had to push very hard in order to get access to the premises and to recover the instruments”.65 Even then it was mid to late April before this could be achieved. Although the Jack Mann Auditorium has since been re- opened, the orchestra is not now able to use it. The Drama Workshop is now used by

University of Canterbury Theatre and Film Studies students, replacing the space which they had occupied at the Arts Centre and at the “University Theatre” at 120 Hereford

Street, both of which are facing demolition. If the University had not taken this step and restored the Drama Workshop space to its originally-intended purpose it could not have delivered its programme to those students. The University‘s requirements took precedence.66 This has left the orchestra without any regular rehearsal facilities and has necessitated much negotiation with several Christchurch schools for the use of their

62 Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong, it will, and at the worst possible moment. 63 Gretchen La Roche, Telephoned update, 8 July, 2011. 64 See below. 65 Gretchen La Roche, Interview of 19 May, 2011. 66 Peter Molony, Recovery Manager, Canterbury University Vice Chancellor’s Office. E-mail dated 12 July, 2011. 30

halls – rarely, suggests Gretchen, the same school hall two weeks in a row. This constant moving means that they are having to set up for each rehearsal and pack everything away again at the conclusion.

5.2 RISINGHOLME ORCHESTRA Risingholme Orchestra, too, has suffered its share of disruptions. This community based amateur orchestra of around 55 – 60 players was set up to provide an opportunity for those who wanted to play orchestral music but might not otherwise be able to do so. A reasonable standard of proficiency is expected but there is a range of abilities among the members. Many will have played in orchestras previously but may have taken time away in order to pursue other careers. The Risingholme Orchestra gives these musicians the chance to do what they enjoy doing and, at the same time, to make good music. Its mission statement is “to make the enjoyment of music paramount”,67 and, as Anthony

Ferner (the orchestra’s conductor) points out “the only way to get enjoyment from music is to continue to improve the standard of performance. The better the standard, the greater will be the level of enjoyment. It is an upward spiral.”68 While the orchestra is already achieving a very acceptable standard of performance it is, as Anthony said,

“getting better all the time”.

While the September earthquake had little effect on the orchestra, except for the personal experiences of the members, which will be the subject of a separate chapter later in this essay, the February quake caused considerable disruption. The hall at the

67 Anthony Ferner, Conductor of the Risingholme Orchestra. Interviewed at 106 Bryndwr Road, 25 May, 2011.. 68 Ibid. 31

Risingholme Community Centre in Opawa has been inaccessible since 22 February, and the timpani and percussion instruments, which were the property of the orchestra and were kept at Risingholme, were unavailable for use. Another rehearsal venue had to be found to enable the orchestra to carry on and, up until their first concert on Sunday, 22

May, all rehearsals were held in St Paul’s Church Hall, Papanui. This venue was always only intended as an interim measure, as it was well outside the traditional area and there were some problems with general noise and instrument storage. They have now relocated to the St Martins Presbyterian Church Hall in St Martins Road.69 This is a convenient venue because it is located close to the Risingholme Centre, the original headquarters. Also many of the players live on that side of town. Understandably, though, the “lack of a fixed abode” is extremely frustrating for the Conductor and

Orchestra Management.

The Phillipstown Library, through which some of the repertoire material was obtained, was not open for just over a week. There were difficulties in obtaining a complete set of scores for the Overture to Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Music had to be brought in, which involved the orchestra in extra expense. “There is a legal obligation to hire music rather than to copy it and, from a professional point of view, copying is unethical. Music hire is expensive, however. This is especially so for the music of

Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky which is still subject to copyright.70 Publishers and libraries charge for the hire of music scores and in some cases, especially where the

69 One of the orchestra members is an elder in this Church and was able to arrange this at a nominal rental. Anthony Ferner. E-mail dated 26 August, 2011. 70 Anthony Ferner remarked that since Stravinsky’s family are still alive, they are entitled to (and actively seek) their commission. 32

works are still under copyright, performance fees are payable.”71 Tony voiced the opinion that hire and performance charges should be reduced for amateur organisations. He could not see the justification for high charges when an amateur orchestra is not making money from the performance.

5.3 GARDEN CITY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Another orchestra that performs regularly in Christchurch is the Garden City Symphony

Orchestra, described in its website as “a local fun Christchurch orchestra for people of all ages ... to come together and enjoy music”.72 Traditionally, the orchestra has performed two concerts a year (June and October, at the Elmwood Auditorium) and a couple of “pre-Christmas outdoor gigs, one at the Arts Centre and the other in the garden at Avebury House”, in Evelyn Couzins Avenue, Richmond.73 Fortunately, the

Garden City Symphony Orchestra has escaped much of the disruption that has plagued most of the other orchestras. The Fendalton Community Centre in Clyde Road, where the orchestra was based, was largely unaffected by the September earthquake and so rehearsals were able to continue there. The building did, however, sustain damage from the February quake and the orchestra was forced to look for alternative premises. Since

31 March, 2011 it has been rehearsing at Christchurch Boys’ High School which, conveniently, is not too distant from the original venue. This arrangement still remains in place.

71 Anthony Ferner. Interview, 25 May, 2011. 72 Garden City Symphony Orchestra website. Accessed 11 July, 2011. 73 Paul Russell, Orchestra Manager for Garden City Symphony Garden City Symphony Orchestra. Responses to E-mailed questions. 33

5.4 CANTERBURY PHILHARMONIA AMATEUR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Christchurch also has another symphony orchestra - the Canterbury Philharmonia, an amateur orchestra that “provides adult non-professional players the opportunity to develop and extend their playing skills in a challenging, but supportive, orchestral setting.”74 It also provides an “opportunity for younger soloists to gain valuable performance experience in orchestral concerto playing”. Regrettably, the orchestra declined to participate in this project.75 However, it is understood that it was not seriously inconvenienced as both its rehearsal and performance venues were unaffected.76

5.5 ORCHESTRA OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT The loss of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and the Music Centre has seriously affected the orchestra that accompanies the Cathedral Choir in the “Orchestral Mass”

(usually settings by Haydn, Mozart or Schubert) that is sung on the first Sunday of each month, as well as the annual performances of the Bach St John Passion and Messiah.

Between the September and February quakes these Orchestral Masses were performed in exceedingly cramped conditions in an upstairs gallery of the Music Centre Chapel, but since 22 February they have been transferred to St Mary’s Church in Manchester Street which has been designated the Pro-Cathedral. This building has a very live acoustic which favours the higher frequencies, causing occasional balance problems, and which requires players to adjust to a slightly detached style of playing in order to maintain clarity. There is nowhere available at St Mary’s for a pre-service “run through” and so

74 Canterbury Philharmonia Amateur Symphony Orchestra website. Downloaded 24 June, 2011. 75 E-mail response dated 20 July 2011. 76 Telephone calls to the Horticultural Society (rehearsal venue) and to the Executive Officer at Villa Maria College (performance venue), 18 July, 2011. 34

Choir and Orchestra have to gather at the Boys’ High School77 for a quick rehearsal, and then travel across town to St Mary’s for the actual Mass. This is far from satisfactory but it is an indication of the lengths to which people are prepared to go in order to perform.

5.6 UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY GAMELAN The University of Canterbury also has its Balinese Gamelan. It was some time after the

September earthquake before Elaine Dobson (Senior Lecturer in Music) who has oversight of the gamelan was able to gain access to the building, at 24 Kirkwood

Avenue, in which it is housed. The sight that greeted her was alarming.78 As she says, “it was as if the instruments were prostrating themselves before me. Most of them had fallen and some had sustained quite a bit of superficial damage to their panelling. More importantly, the ‘thonging’ that holds the keys had broken or [else] the struts that are underneath them had snapped when the instruments fell. Currently only about half a gamelan is able to be used. Strangely, that is a workable arrangement because there are enough of each of the instruments usable to form half a gamelan. The most important part of the gamelan, the gongs, were not damaged because they were on stands and they simply swung with the motion of the earthquakes. Fortunately they were sufficiently far away from the walls not to strike them as they moved. Had the gongs hit the walls, the metal particles in them could have become displaced.” This would have been disastrous because, “if the gong is damaged the gamelan cannot be used”.

77 Don Whelan, the Musical Director for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, is also HOD (Music) at Christchurch Boys’ High School. 78 Elaine Dobson. Transcript of interview conducted at University of Canterbury School of music, 19 July, 2011. 35

Gamelan at this University is always run as a second semester course so, from a teaching point of view, there has not been any disruption to the programme.

Composition students writing for gamelan do use it, however, so that they are able to hear their work. This they were unable to do for some considerable time. The February and June earthquakes only exacerbated that problem. From the beginning of Semester

2 the gamelan is being used, or “rather”, says Elaine, “half a gamelan is being used, and it will probably continue like that until she can mend the instruments.” (The alternative would be to bring an instrument repairer over from Bali, and such a course of action would seem unlikely.) “The only instrument that will not be able to be fixed is the

‘Conductor’ instrument, the kempli. At present it is being held together with blue-tack.

This is not very successful, but it works – more or less.” Elaine thinks that the University may have to get a new one to replace it.

Elaine joked that she is thinking of writing a piece for broken gamelan; “there are some very interesting sounds that are coming out of the bits that are left”.79 She is, however, seriously considering doing a piece for the concert that is to be held in the Jack Mann

Auditorium on 9 September. From her perspective a concert there would be more interesting than one in the Great Hall (where it normally would have been held) because the tiered seating will enable the audience to see the instruments and how they are played. This they could not do in the Great Hall. The visual aspect will add to the enjoyment of the performance.

79 Ibid. 36

CHAPTER 6: THE CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND ITS ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS (INCLUDING THE CHRISTCHURCH YOUTH ORCHESTRA)

The nursery for music in Christchurch would have to be the School of Music. This institution has provided basic musical training, especially in instrumental playing, for generations of Christchurch children. It also caters for older folk who may always have wanted to learn an instrument but have never had the opportunity to do so. Between nine hundred and a thousand students,80 at all stages of their musical development from absolute beginners to advanced performers, would turn up at the Music Centre every Saturday for lessons. The tutors have always been Registered Music Teachers who are contracted to the school. Most of them teach privately in addition to the time they spend working at the school. Several have teaching studios there.

6.1 CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL OF MUSIC Although there was obvious damage to the buildings in the September earthquake, with tons of fallen masonry from parapets and gables lying around, it looked worse than it actually was. The buildings themselves remained structurally sound.81 The February quake changed everything. Staff were working in the building when it struck and were forced to leave as best they could. The damage on that occasion was extensive, both to the Music Centre and to the adjacent Cathedral. Cars parked in the area had been crushed when the two West towers of the Cathedral came down. Sean Whitaker

80 As at 6 September, 2011, the total number of students enrolled was 907. This number is slightly down on those of previous years (1027 in 2009). Telephone call to CSM office, 6 September, 2011. 81 See Chapter 2. 37

remembers telling others who had gathered outside the building that “in twelve months’ time we will be looking at a car park here”.82 Prophetic words, indeed.

Although the office, together with all of the records for the past 20 or 30 years has gone, along with some instruments, including pianos, that were in hard-to-reach places, most of the CSM’s property has now been recovered. Sean estimates that 80 – 90% of the instruments have been recovered. The music library was also recovered as late as

27/28 June. “There was potential for CSM to lose everything but at the end of the day the losses will not be all that great.”83

Photo: Stacy Squires The Press Recovery of the CSM Music Library (Note the special cage, suspended from a crane, that people had to use to get into the building.)

82 Sean Whitaker, Interview 1 July, 2011. 83 Ibid. 38

Nevertheless, the CSM was back in business ten days later. Ensemble rehearsals began on Saturday, 5 March, at the Cashmere Club, Colombo Street South, and these were very well attended. Thus some sense of normality was maintained. Individual lessons were not offered until more permanent accommodation could be obtained, although some teachers did offer tuition in their own homes.84 There were two compelling reasons for the School’s prompt resumption:85

1) To provide normality for teachers and pupils alike, and

2) Financial reasons. The CSM is a non-profit organisation and it could not

sustain its operations if the fees were not coming in.

Agreements were negotiated with Rangi Ruru and Christchurch Boys’ High School whereby they would host the CSM and provide space for individual teaching. Most of the work, both throughout the week and on Saturdays mornings, is being carried out at

Rangi Ruru, while the overflow on Saturdays goes to Boys’ High School. The Cashmere

Club was only used for a maximum of four weeks. Of course, these arrangements are only an interim solution. As at the end of July 2011 the situation was still evolving and nobody could say what the final solution would be. As Sean says, “Suggested solutions are appearing out of the ether, but nothing has any real substance to it yet”.86 A follow- up telephone enquiry has revealed that the situation remains unchanged as at 27

October, 2011.

84 Ibid. 85 Ibid. The position as at 1 July, 2011. 86 Ibid. 39

6.2 CHRISTCHURCH YOUTH ORCHESTRA With the Anglican Cathedral no longer available for concerts the Christchurch Youth

Orchestra, which is top orchestra of the Christchurch School of Music, has had to look elsewhere for a suitable venue. Normally the orchestra would hold three concerts a year in the Cathedral, in May, August and October. It was able to use the McCombs

Auditorium at Cashmere High School for its concert on 21 May, and performed creditably to a very large audience.87 Because Cashmere was not available on 13 August the orchestra’s next concert was held at the new Performing Arts Centre at Middleton

Grange School in Upper Riccarton. The financial aspect of this has been examined in an earlier chapter.88 For the final CYO concert of the year the orchestra is considering St

Christopher’s Church, in Avonhead, but this could depend on the suitability of the grand piano in the church. Hopefully, it will be good enough to allow a performance of the

Beethoven Second Piano Concerto. Personal safety remains paramount and each of the venues chosen for concerts in 2011 is a single-story building, located well away from the Red Zone.89 In addition to these CYO concerts the orchestra has been engaged to play the Circus Symphony in the inflatable dome at Hagley Park as part of “Kids’ Fest” and also to be part of a pre-Christmas concert at the Lincoln Events Centre, on 11

December.

Prior to the February earthquake CYO rehearsals were held in the Music Centre Chapel

(Maurice Till Auditorium). Thanks to the co-operation of the Avonhead Primary School

87 Katrina Finch. 88 See Chapter 3 above. 89 Katrina Finch. 40

Principal – Charles Leving, a former Musical Director of the Primary Schools’ Music

Festival – they are now held at Avonhead. The large single-story building there was designed as an indoor sporting venue. With great foresight, however, the principal and the architect had insisted that any adjoining side rooms be sound-proofed to enable them to be used for other activities, especially for music – a very prudent decision.90

The Christchurch Youth Orchestra has had many difficulties to work through during this time, not least the lack of access to their music library. Indeed, this has been the major cause of frustration. Fortunately, the music for the May concert had been distributed to the players the week before the February quake. However, the 2nd horn player had been absent on the day the music had been given out and so her music was still

“imprisoned” in the library. As Katrina Finch, co-manager of the orchestra put it:

“Imagine the difficulties involved in trying to obtain a copy of the 2nd horn part of the

Brahms Third Symphony.” In the end, John Emeleus very kindly wrote it out from his own miniature score.91

The music for the proposed August programme – an all-American programme of music by Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue), Copland (Appalachian Spring), and Bernstein (West

Side Story) – had already been assembled and was stored in the library when the

February quake struck. The orchestra owned the copies of Rhapsody in Blue, but had already hired the scores for the other two works. Everything was there but it was

90 Ibid. 91 Ibid. 41

inaccessible and so the librarian had to arrange for a second set of all the music, including that which the orchestra owned, to be hired. This was an expense that had certainly not been budgeted for. In the event the decision was taken to defer performing the music from West Side Story until a later concert, and this was replaced, at the August concert by the ‘Tango’ from David Farquhar’s dance suite, Ring Round the

Moon and, after the interval, by the ‘Waltz’ from Tchaikovsky’ Sleeping Beauty. (See concert programme, Appendix H, attached .)

There has also been some very good news for the Christchurch Youth Orchestra. Six of the musicians, Natalie Jones (1st violin and CYO concert master), Emily Wilby (2nd violin),

Fiona Cairns (double bass), Justin Standring (flute), James Liley (1st horn) and Andrew

Bell (percussion) have been selected as members of the National Youth Orchestra. In addition to these successes, Jack Harré (1st trumpet), who had been in Melbourne auditioning for the Juilliard School of Music, won a recording opportunity with James

Morrison in Sydney as part of the audition process. These successes show the determination of young Christchurch musicians not to be distracted by events beyond their control, such as we have experienced over the last few months.

42

CHAPTER 7: ORCHESTRAS IN SCHOOLS

7.1 CHISNALLWOOD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL School music is also an important component part of the musical structure of the city.

For many children, especially those who do not learn an instrument either privately or through the School of Music, this would be their first experience of music making. The earthquakes have seriously affected the music programme in many Christchurch schools, especially those in the badly-damaged eastern suburbs. Chisnallwood

Intermediate School is just one such school. The School Jazz Band, which has established quite a reputation for itself having been invited to participate in the New

Zealand School of Music Jazz Festival, had been due to undertake a tour to Dunedin shortly after the September earthquake.92 The logistical difficulties that the 4

September quake posed for the school were considerable. The host schools in Dunedin were asking for information about the children who were travelling so that billeting arrangements could be finalised, but with the school closed and the telephone network out of action because of cable damage, the school had to find other ways in which to contact parents. A solution was found and a form was set up on line through Wikispaces so that the necessary information could be gathered.93

Chisnallwood is a Decile 5 school situated in one of the worst-affected areas of

Christchurch. It has around 850 children attending, including several international fee- paying pupils, most of whom have now returned home. This has resulted in a huge loss

92 Judith Bell, Head of Music at Chisnallwood, Transcript of interview. Chisnallwood was the only Intermediate School to be invited to the Jazz Festival — a remarkable achievement and a testimony to the hard work and dedication of both tutors and children. 93 Ibid. 43

of revenue for the school (around $100,000) and there is, of course, no insurance cover for losses of this nature.94 As a result all expenditure is rigidly controlled.95 That said, however, common sense sometimes has to override practicality. As an example, “one mother whose family had lost everything (home, employment, etc.) and whose children were having to share a house with another family, was distraught because a hired cello had been damaged when another member of the household (not one of her children) had accidentally fallen on it. There was no way that she could afford the necessary repairs.” The sensible approach was adopted and Mrs Bell, as Head of Department, decided that the School would cover the cost in that instance.96 She has also taken steps to ensure that all of the itinerant music teachers who worked at the school were paid everything that was due to them.97 A good working relationship with the itinerant teachers is vital to the success of the music programme. With the exception of the

Drum Teacher, who has resigned to become a builder, all of the itinerants are continuing to teach at the school.

Concerned that some pupils who were needing to pay for music lessons might not be able to carry on, the School surveyed the families involved to ascertain whether the children would be continuing. Many did not reply but 57 of the 58 replies received were in favour of an immediate resumption. Indeed, one parent wrote We are only too

94 Judith Bell. 95 Ibid. 96 Ibid. 97 Ibid. 44

pleased for Taylor to continue his guitar lessons as we have heard ‘Smoke on the Water’ far too many times already.98

Even though they are from an Intermediate School, Chisnallwood pupils perform with distinction at the annual Rockquest and Jazzquest competitions, and this year (2011), despite all their setbacks and inadequate preparation, was no exception. The Press report is quoted below. Because of the amount of detail contained, and the level of determination it reveals, it is worth including it here in its entirety.99

Photo: Judith Bell Chisnallwood pupils performing at the New Zealand School of Music Jazz Festival

A Christchurch school jazz band battled snow,100 sickness and a treacherous Cook Strait crossing to get to a festival in Wellington. But it

98 Ibid. 99 The Press, 23 August, 2011. 100 The city of Christchurch experienced two severe snow storms during the winter of 2011. The first of these in July caused some inconvenience with businesses, schools and the University being closed for two days because of unsafe road conditions. The second storm, which began on Sunday night, 14 August and lasted into Wednesday, 17 August, was far more severe and the city was effectively closed 45

was worth the effort—they won awards competing against much older musicians.

Chisnallwood Intermediate School’s 23-strong jazz band was the only intermediate school to compete at the New Zealand School of Music Jazz Festival, where 20 bands from secondary schools were judged by three internationally renowned jazz musicians. The band won four out of 15 awards at the festival. Music teacher Judith Bell said the group was “elated”. There were numerous times when the trip was almost cancelled

Bell said she was not sure if they would be able to take part after February earthquake because she did not know how many pupils would return. Most of them did and they have been turning up at 8.00 a.m. twice a week to practice [sic]. With the earthquake and everything I think the students worked even harder. They had something to work towards”

After receiving two grants to help pay for the trip, the pupils, their instruments and seven adults were due to leave in a convoy on Wednesday [17 August], but the snow delayed their departure until Thursday. On the way one of the parent drivers became ill and was left in Cheviot so the band could reach Picton in time. The group then had to organise insurance cover for a replacement driver while rushing to Picton. They were told there was not enough room on the ferry for the cars and instruments, so the children and two adults went on the first sailing and the cars and instruments followed a couple of hours later. They were subjected to five-metre high waves. “People were throwing up all around the boat”, Bell said.

But the nightmare journey was worth it. Pupil, Hamish Smith won most outstanding bass, Matthew Howes won most outstanding guitar, Ella Dunbar-Wilcox won the adjudicator’s *sic+ commendation and the entire band was awarded the special adjudicator’s *sic+ prize.

New Zealand School of Music events and marketing co-ordinator Stephen Gibbs said the three international judges, Alex Sipiagin, Bob Sheppard and Steve Houghton were blown away by the school’s performance. They could not believe how well the band and the combo were doing for their age group.”

(Tina Law, Press reporter.)

down for two days. Roads became impassable and State Highway 1, between Waipara and Kaikoura was closed. The Chisnallwood party needed to travel that route to get to Picton, and it was still far from certain that they would get through when they left Christchurch on the Thursday morning – a day later than planned. 46

One problem remains, however. The School is not now able to reciprocate in arranging billets for other school groups who come to Christchurch to play with the Chisnallwood bands.101 Nevertheless external goals like these are extremely important. If they are taken away the children become disheartened. Music nurtures young people. They grow as the result.102

7.2 CATHEDRAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL Unlike Chisnallwood Intermediate, which is a State school, Cathedral Grammar School is an independent school with strong affiliation to the Anglican Church. Established in

1881 by the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Christchurch for the education of the Cathedral choristers, it has continued to fulfil that function for

130 years.103 But it is on the general musical side of the school’s activities that I wish to concentrate in this chapter. The school is located within the wider Central Business

District, and so was immediately cordoned-off after the September earthquake. The

“Statham Building”, a large three-story brick building on Chester Street West, named after Sir Charles Statham, Speaker of the House of Parliament and a former pupil and chorister,104 sustained severe damage and was marked for probable demolition. In addition to the Cathedral Choir Practice Room this building housed four music studios, two music teaching rooms, as well as the office of the Head of Music which contained all her files.105 These were lost. So, too, was the class set of music keyboards that had

101 Ibid. 102 Mrs Bell’s concluding remarks. 103 Roger Couper, Jubilate: The Story of a Choir School (Christchurch: The Cathedral Grammarians’ Association, 2006). I am no.1556 on the School Roll. 104 Couper, p. 53. 105 Malcolm Long, Acting Headmaster, Cathedral Grammar School. Transcript of interview conducted at the school on 11 may, 2011. 47

been in one of the teaching classrooms. Once the cordon was able to be lifted the

School Library, situated in an adjacent building, was cleared and converted into a music teaching suite. The Head of Department was able to set up a desk there. Children went wherever they could find space for music lessons: the foyer to the Chapel (immediately across Chester Street from the Statham Block), and even into locker rooms.106

Photo: Cathedral Grammarians’ Assn. The Statham Building at Cathedral Grammar School.

The February earthquake finished the work that the previous shakes had started.

Fortunately it occurred at lunch time and no-one was hurt although some children, who had been sitting in places where masonry fell, had moved just moments before. Any thoughts that the Statham building might have been repairable were dashed. It was to come down. Because of the location – it lay within the “Red Zone” – the whole school

106 Ibid. 48

was forced into recess for three weeks. When school did resume it was spread over five different locations: a) The Girls’ School went to unused rooms at Selwyn House, an independent school

for girls in years 1 to 8, b) The year 4 boys’ class went to the Board Room of a premises in Russley Business

Park, Sir William Pickering Drive, out near the Airport, c) Pre-school went to St Mary’s Church Hall, Merivale, d) 2 classes (years 5 and 6) went to an unused house in Ryans Road, Yaldhurst, that

belonged to someone associated with the school, e) Years 7 and 8 went out to Halkett School (which had been closed some time

previously),

Bus transport was arranged to get children to and from their classes.107

Although much musical equipment was retrieved before the Statham building was demolished some had been damaged by exposure to the weather. Most of the music library was lost. To enable school to resume on the Chester Street site 20 classrooms would be needed. The Chapel wasn’t used. Prefabricated buildings were obtained and one of them is now being used as a Music Room. Routines were established as quickly as possible and every room that could fit around the timetabling was used. The school choir and orchestra programmes were soon revived and, as a way of saying “thank you” to the Halkett community, a short concert was performed there.

107 Ibid. 49

All equipment was insured, and as far as can be ascertained there have been no problems. Of the 24 keyboards that were in the Statham building 10 could not be retrieved. But therein lay a problem. Because all the keyboards must be the same and the likelihood of getting identical replacements was remote the insurance claim has been for 24 keyboards.108

7.3 ARANUI HIGH SCHOOL Probably the hardest hit secondary school in Christchurch would have to be Aranui High

School. This school serves the Eastern suburbs of Christchurch and it is there that most of the damage has occurred. The whole district remains a disaster zone with very many homes no longer habitable. The engineering infrastructure has been totally destroyed in the areas around Aranui, Bexley, and Wainoni. Not only have homes been damaged beyond repair but the land has been covered with a thick layer of silt that has risen to the surface. This liquefaction is all-pervading, clogging gutters and drains and making roadways impassable at times. Heavy and sloppy when it is wet, this silt layer has become a health-hazard as it dries. The dust finds its way into everything. “Many residents are experiencing respiratory problems from having inhaled it – you can literally see what you are breathing – and because it is in the water, you clean your teeth with it every day.”109 Sewerage and other services are still not operational in many streets. For many people it is all they can do to survive. Pastimes such as music tend to be relegated in the order of importance. This is the situation that Jane Herman,

Head of Music at Aranui faces. The responsibility for the personal safety of students and

108 Ibid. 109 Harikoa Bronsdaughter-George. Harikoa is a viola performance student at Canterbury who lives in this part of Christchurch. 50

teachers weighs heavily upon her. As she puts it “It is hard even to get back to normal as we have to stop school whenever there is a big aftershock. Then we are back to

‘Square One’.”110

The Music Suite at Aranui High School has also suffered damage. The building is quite badly cracked, the doors no longer close, heaters are down, plaster is coming down all around and some areas are cordoned off. Guitars have been broken and the Computer

Room is out of action. Fifteen computers have been totally destroyed and it has been necessary to rewrite all the programmes.111 Even though staff and students have tried to carry on as usual the distractions and disruptions have cost the school dearly in terms of students’ preparation for the musical events (Jazzquest and Rockquest) in which they would normally be involved.112 They are months behind where they should be and any attempt to make up lost ground would be doomed to failure. The students simply could not take the pressure.113

There is no relief from the extreme stress that people who live in the area are facing.

“Everyone is tired and edgy and it is difficult to maintain focus. ... We try to pretend that things are normal but, when another aftershock hits, we know they are not. The risk of injury should another quake occur during a concert or a late rehearsal makes it hard to carry on. ... These safety issues, and the fact that there really are no other concert venues in the eastern suburbs, have made cancellation of any concerts

110 Jane Herman, Head of Music at Aranui High School. Responses to E-mail questions. 111 Ibid. 112 Ibid. 113 Ibid. 51

necessary. It is not as though we can hold a concert across town, since the students have other responsibilities – family and church – and simply cannot travel. ... For these people, ‘family’ is probably the most important thing, and so the school cannot expect

‘Eastside’ children to be there practising music when they are having to live several kilometres away because their houses are in the ‘Red Zone’. ... Such is the reality for our school. We do our best, but it is tiring.”114

7.4 ST BEDE’S COLLEGE At the other end of the spectrum is St Bede’s College, an integrated Roman Catholic

Secondary School for boys which also maintains a boarding establishment. This, of course, added another dimension to whatever problems the College faced. After the

September earthquake the college had to be closed to enable the buildings to be inspected. “The first task”, says Rachael Hawkey (Deputy Principal and Head of Music),

“was to arrange for the boarders to return home”. St Bede’s was closed for about six days.115

The February earthquake was a much more serious problem because it occurred during the school day. The immediate priority was, again, to get all pupils, including the boarders, home. That, in itself, was a logistical nightmare as many of the boys were from the eastern suburbs and, with roads either impassable because of damage or

114 Ibid. The central city ‘Red Zone” is not the only area of Christchurch to be so categorised. Some residential areas in the eastern suburbs, such as Aranui, Bexley, Bromley, Dallington and Wainoni were also declared “uninhabitable”. 115 Rachael Hawkey, Deputy Principal and Head of Music at St Bede’s College. Interviewed at St Bede’s 10 May, 2011. 52

choked with exceptionally heavy traffic, travel was almost impossible. As if that were not enough, the mother of one of the boys had died as the result of the quake.116

St Bede’s was fortunate in that building damage was relatively light although the

College Chapel, a separate building, is likely to have to come down. All should be covered by insurance, but since it is a Catholic school, the responsibility for the provision of buildings rests with Board of Proprietors. The Government helps with day to day maintenance only. Rebuilding and earthquake strengthening is not a

Government responsibility.117

A common scenario in Christchurch at this time, however, is that schools which are largely unaffected by the quakes are having to share their sites with another school that may have been forced out of its own location. St Bede’s is sharing its site with Marian

College. St Bede’s has the site from 7.45am-1.00pm, while Marian takes over at 1.00pm until 5.30pm. This means that there is only one interval during the day for each school, so there can be no ensemble group rehearsals during what would normally be the pupils’ lunch break. Neither can St Bede’s boys have rehearsals after their school day finishes because all the music rooms are being used by the girls from Marian College.

Rehearsal times have had to be re-scheduled and music teachers are reluctant to take boys out of normal classes for music lessons when their learning time is so compressed.

This is particularly hard for any of the boarders who are taking music as a subject. For

116 Ibid. 117 Ibid. 53

them, the College is their home, but they cannot get access to practice rooms and equipment during the day, or even just after school. 118

The fact that the College is in use from 7.45am – 5.30pm poses a problem as far as

Itinerant teachers are concerned. They still have to be accommodated both physically

(with accommodation in which to teach) and time-wise. Organisation of their activities has become something of a juggling exercise. As if that were not enough, the Marian

College music teacher has resigned and, while this is not Rachael’s direct responsibility it still impinges on her work.119

The quakes have impacted on National Events such as the “Big Sing” which was to have been held in Christchurch in 2011. This has been moved to Wellington instead. Because of the site-sharing arrangement the Bedean Choir has been severely hampered by lack of regular and accessible rehearsal time. Funding for travel to Wellington, etc., has also been harder to come by. Likewise the National Barbershop Competition, which will still be held and judged as usual, will not be able to hold its concert performance. Students taking part in this will still receive NCEA credits, but they feel that they will not be able to achieve their usual standard. There will be a Variety Concert towards the end of the year and so the students will still get the opportunity to perform. Normally the College would hold two or three variety concerts a year. Rockquest, too, has also been postponed from May until August. The loss of a gig in music making is significant

118 Ibid. 119 Ibid. 54

because lost gigs mean lost revenue, and fundraising is very important. Our whole world has contracted. There is less of everything. 120

St Bede’s College had been due to celebrate its centenary in May, 2011. Because of the upheavals (literal and metaphorical) the Centennial Celebrations have had to be postponed and are now planned for May, 2012, provided Mother Nature co-operates.

There is a positive note to this, however. The students have tried to maintain normality and none has discontinued with lessons. On the contrary, the experiences have provided the boys with a source of inspiration for musical composition.

120 Ibid. 55

CHAPTER 8: DISRUPTION TO THE CONCERT SCHEDULE AND THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Concert-goers in Christchurch have had their plans turned upside down. The lack of suitable venues has meant that many concerts that were scheduled for performance since September, 2010 have either been cancelled entirely, postponed, or changed in some other way. Works that might have been suitable for the originally chosen venue would not necessarily be appropriate in another location. Acoustically, too, the replacement venue might not be as sympathetic. That is why a building such as the

Town Hall, which has the dignity to be able to accommodate most musical styles satisfactorily, is so important to the musical life of Christchurch. Most music is composed with a specific context and environment in mind.

8.1 NZSO Only one of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s planned concerts for 2011 has had to be cancelled. This concert was scheduled for Wednesday, 9 November, (Carnival week in Christchurch)121 was to include the music which Gottlieb Huppertz wrote for the Fritz Lang film Metropolis. Extracts from the film were to be shown during the performance in order to put the music into context.122 While the necessary technical facilities would have been available at the Town Hall, they were not available at the

Arena. The Wellington and Auckland performances of the Metropolis concert will still go

121 This week has always been a special one in Christchurch, with days devoted horse racing, the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Show, and many other activities. The Friday (People’s Day at the A & P Show) has become a public holiday in lieu of Anniversary Day. Christchurch would normally host many visitors that week and so it was an obvious choice of dates for an NZSO concert. 122 NZSO 2011 Season brochure, p. 39 56

ahead as planned, however. Nevertheless, the expenses that will be saved by the orchestra not having to travel to Christchurch will not be sufficient to compensate for the loss of income that would have been generated.

8.2 CSO Because the Town Hall was out of action for a brief period after the September quake, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra was forced to cancel one concert that was to have been performed there as part of a “Masterworks series” sponsored by the Funeral

Directing firm of Lamb and Hayward, Ltd.123 This concert which was to be performed in conjunction with the Christchurch City Choir, entitled Gloria had been scheduled for 18

September, just two weeks after the 7.1 quake. The Orchestra’s concert Celebrating the

Elements – Air, part of a series held in the Christchurch Cathedral, which had been scheduled for the following week (26 September) was transferred to the Salvation Army

Citadel in Durham Street. Regrettably the acoustics in the Citadel were not as sympathetic to the orchestra as the Cathedral would have been.124

Since the February earthquake two series of concerts have had to be reviewed. The

Lamb and Hayward “Masterworks” series of eight concerts throughout 2011 has been reduced to just two. The 27 August concert with Nikolai Demidenko, and the 29

October concert with Piers Lane, will both be held in the Aurora Centre. Likewise the

123 Ibid. also Avenues, Issue 76, A monthly magazine publication. (Christchurch: The Press, September, 2010). p. 18. 124 Gretchen La Roche. 57

Cathedral series of four concerts entitled Symphonic Sundays, has also been reduced to two. The first of these was held at St Christopher’s Church, Avonhead, on 3 July while the second will go ahead on 27 October, at the Aurora Centre. In addition to these cancellations, a concert that had been organised by the CSO and featuring the Woolston

Brass Band, which had been scheduled for the Town Hall on 11 June, was cancelled, while another CSO concert, featuring Dave Dobbyn, has been transferred to the CBS

Arena. These concerts had been organised by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

The orchestra is often engaged on a “hire of services” basis by other musical organisations and some of those engagements have had to be cancelled. Southern

Opera, for example, had contracted the orchestra to accompany its season of Tosca, but uncertainty surrounding the availability of the venue (the Theatre Royal) caused

Southern Opera to abandon the project.125 Another engagement was to provide the orchestral support to contestants in the National Concerto Competition which was to have been held in the Town Hall on 12 March. It was abandoned. The Christchurch City

Choir, too, had engaged the orchestra for two of its concerts (in April and September) but these have also been abandoned. Such cancellations mean a loss of revenue for the orchestra.126

The changes to concert venues have brought problems regarding ticketing. The orchestra runs a Subscription Series and subscribers will usually book for a whole series

125 Ibid. 126 Ibid. 58

at the one time. This has caused the ticketing agencies to revise their ticket issuing procedures as they now have to treat concerts individually rather than as a series, especially when not all of the concerts are held at the same venue.

“The Big Unknown as far as the orchestra is concerned is ‘what will happen to their audience?’”127 This question raises some significant issues:

1. How will the financial strain that people are facing affect ticket prices for concerts?

The pricing structure has had to be reworked in recognition of the fact that people’s

incomes have been seriously affected. Many are facing huge unexpected expense in

their lives.

2. How many concerts can the public tolerate?

3. There is reluctance among people to gather in large numbers, so when is the right

time? When will they be ready?

4. Does the type of venue, and its location, have a bearing upon where people are

prepared to go to listen to orchestral music?

The orchestra is a multi-million dollar organisation but it is still very dependent upon audience numbers. There is no Business Interruption Insurance.128 Like most other professional orchestras, the CSO has subscribing members and it is very important that these remain satisfied. “There are also people who are dependent upon it – those whom it employs (its staff and players). Regrettably, two members of the

128 Ibid. 59

administration have lost their positions.”129 The effect of the disruptions on the orchestra personnel is the subject of a later chapter.130 Suffice it to say, at this point, that the orchestra is continuing to pay its players for all concerts which the CSO has had to cancel. This matter is covered more fully in Chapter 10.1.

But it is not all bad news. The earthquakes have provided the orchestra with permission to examine its operation and to make changes where necessary, and Gretchen believes that the structure of the organisation does need to change.131 They have also opened the door to an overseas tour. The orchestra recently embarked on a concert tour to

Japan, especially to those areas that were devastated by earthquake and tsunami not long after the 22 February Christchurch quake. This was Christchurch’s way of offering support “from one earthquake-stricken city to another”.132

The orchestra acknowledges the support it has received from Creative New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council, and is well aware of the role it needs to play in the rebuilding of the city. “We have a heaven-sent opportunity. There is nothing to lose.

Things can only go upwards from here and get even better than before.”133

129 Ibid. 130 See Chapter 10.1 131 Gretchen La Roche. 132 Ibid. This tour took place late September – early October, 2011, and, from all reports, was very successful. 133 Ibid. 60

CHAPTER 9: THE CHORAL SCENE

Over the last 150 years Christchurch has enjoyed a reputation as a city of choirs, and justifiably so. The choral tradition that was so strong in Britain in the 19th century,134 especially the oratorio tradition of the large city choral societies, had found its way to this part of the world. This, coupled with the influence of the Church of England (and its rich musical heritage) on the new settlement Christchurch,135 laid the foundation upon which the city’s choral reputation was built.

9.1 CHRISTCHURCH CITY CHOIR The figurehead of Christchurch choirs is the Christchurch City Choir. Formed in 1991, following a merger of two long-established large choirs (the Royal Christchurch Musical

Society and the Christchurch Harmonic Society), the choir has been the leading choral body in Christchurch ever since. The Musical Director, who was appointed to the position, from Canada, at the time of the choir’s incorporation, is Brian Law. The twentieth anniversary year, 2011, was to have been a big year for both the choir and its director.136

9.1.1 IMPACT ON VENUES The City Choir was not greatly affected by the September earthquake. The Town Hall, the choir’s principal performance venue, remained open (except for the time it took to

134 Bernarr Rainbow, The Land Without Music: Musical Education in England 1800 – 1860, and its Continental Antecedents ( London: Novello, 1967). *The spelling of the author’s name is correct.+ 135 Stephen Parr, Canterbury Pilgrimage: The First Hundred Years of the Church of England in Canterbury – New Zealand (Christchurch: Centennial Committee of the Diocese of Christchurch, 1951). p. 15. 136 Jennifer Sutherland, Christchurch City Choir Board Member, Interviewed at Canterbury University School of Music, 15 September, 2011. 61

carry out the initial structural examination of the building) and so did the rehearsal venue at the Rutland Street Church.137 All was to change with the quake on 22

February, however. The choir’s two main performance venues (Town Hall and the

ChristChurch Cathedral) suffered extensive damage and could not be used. If a concert programme were to go ahead, alternative venues needed to be found, and found quickly. As luck would have it, the new Lincoln Events Centre (about 30 minutes’ drive from Christchurch) was completed in time to allow a concert to be held there in June.138

Credit must be given to the contribution made by Creative New Zealand at this point, for without that organisation’s enormous financial and practical support there could have been no concert.139 Creative New Zealand’s brief was to assist any arts organisations that wished to put on concerts or exhibitions but were hindered by lack of a venue, by providing finance and other assistance to replicate, as far as possible, the venue that had been lost.140 An application was made and substantial funding was received. This enabled staging to be built and installed, lighting to be put in and some sound enhancement to be provided – all of this in what had been constructed as a sports and general-purpose arena.141

9.1.2 DISRUPTIONS TO THE CONCERT SCHEDULE, POST SEPTEMBER 2010 As a consequence of the September earthquake, a performance of Fauré’s Requiem, which was to have been held on 18 September, in the Town Hall, was cancelled.142 The

137 Ibid. Rutland Street Church remained undamaged after both the February and June earthquakes, so the choir continues to rehearse there. 138 Ibid. See also p. 21 above. This was the Missa Gaia concert, about which more will be said later. 139 Ibid. 140 Ibid. 141 Ibid. 142 Ibid. 62

choir, however, felt the need to sing this music, and wanted to sing it, and so the decision was taken to perform the Requiem in ChristChurch Cathedral, in October, for the families of choir members.143 This was a free performance – in effect an “in-house rehearsal” to which family members were invited. The work was performed with organ accompaniment, and Brian Law used soloists (a treble and a baritone) from the

Cathedral Choir.144 This was a wonderfully moving performance.

The Town Hall was available, however, for The Last Night of the Proms concert on 6

November, 2010, and also for the annual performance of Messiah on 4 December, and so these two concerts went ahead as planned.145

9.1.3 DISRUPTION, POST FEBRUARY 2011 With the Town Hall and the Cathedral unable to be used following the February earthquake, the choir’s 2011 concert schedule has had to be abandoned.146 The Gala concert, involving international soloists, which had been scheduled for 2 April, was cancelled because there was no suitable venue. A very large concert had been planned for 3 September, 2011, to celebrate both the 20th anniversary of the choir and of its musical director. This, too, had to be cancelled. One of the works that was to have been performed was the Verdi Requiem, and again, a team of international soloists had been engaged. The “Verdi” is a work that requires a large choir, as well as a huge orchestra,

143 Ibid. 144 Brian Law is also Director of Music at ChristChurch Cathedral. 145 Jennifer Sutherland. 146 Ibid. 63

and there was simply no other venue in, or around, Christchurch that could have accommodated it. This concert was also cancelled.147 A converted sports stadium is the wrong venue for such a monumental work. The same applies for a performance of

Messiah.

Missa Gaia, a work which the choir had performed three times previously, had been scheduled for June, 2011.148 Brian Law was adamant that “of all the concerts that the choir would perform during 2011, Missa Gaia would be the one that would have the most meaning and be of relevance to uplift and inspire people”.149 People were crying out for a concert, and Jennifer recalls that she received “phone call after phone call from people asking when there would be a concert”. Missa Gaia is different from an oratorio – more theatrical. There is a strong visual component to the work. The emotional impact of that concert was far-reaching, not just for choir members but also to the public. 150 Feed-back was “staggering”, and Jennifer commented that people attended who had never been to a choral concert before. I don’t know what it is about, but I want to go to something.151 This concert showed the choir and Board just how much music is valued. “It is not until catastrophic events, such as we have experienced in Canterbury, occur that we think about what we have lost – the ability to go to a theatre, a concert, a movie. These are the things that feed us; the things that help us

147 Ibid. 148 Ibid. See also Chapter 2.3. 149 Brian Law’s statement at a meeting of the City Choir Board, as reported by Jennifer Sutherland. 150 My own observations from having attended the concert. 151 Jennifer Sutherland. 64

recover our equilibrium. They are just not there, and so the knowledge that the demand for these things remains makes one more determined to go out and do it.”152

The choir was engaged to sing the Beethoven 9th Symphony (the “Choral” Symphony) at the CBS Arena on 27 September, 2011, but this was an NZSO concert rather than a

City Choir one.153 (NZSO performed this concert in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin as part of the Rugby World Cup festivities. The national professional chamber choir, Voices New Zealand, joined the choir for the occasion.) For the remainder of 2011, the Last Night of the Proms concert with the CSO will go ahead as planned, but at the CBS Arena. The performance of Messiah has been transferred to

Christ’s College Hall. Jennifer did say that the choir was very fortunate to get that venue.

9.1.4. ADMINISTRATION The choir was fortunate in that, apart from a day or two off, it was not unduly inconvenienced by the September earthquake. Their office and library, which were housed in the Music Centre (Barbadoes Street), were still accessible.154 The impact of the February quake on the choir’s administration, however, was enormous. Fortunately, staff were able to get access to the office to retrieve absolute essentials – 15 minutes only, under strict supervision. Until June 2011, the Administrator worked from her

152 Ibid. 153 Ibid. 154 Ibid. 65

home.155 Access was then granted to enable the office to be cleared, and everything was retrieved. Creative New Zealand again helped by creating an administration hub at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), where all the arts organisations could have office space.156 The choir applied and was granted an office, so on the day of the big move, everything went straight over there. CSO has the adjoining office space, so liaison with other arts organisations has been simplified. Martin

Trusttum, from the CPIT Faculty of Creative Industries, was also one of the instigators of this.157 Rental for all of the organisations that have space at CPIT has been paid by

Creative New Zealand until Christmas 2011. After this time the choir will be able to rent the space at “a very reasonable rate”.158

9.1.5 CHOIR LIBRARY Christchurch City Choir has a huge and very valuable library.159 It includes copies of works that were rarely performed. The extent of the library is such that the choir is often called upon to hire music out to other choirs. With the music unavailable for hire, a valuable source of income has been lost.

As it happened, 22 February was a Tuesday, which is not only the choir’s rehearsal day, it is also the library day. The librarian and her team were working in the library repairing old music scores for hire. Fortunately, they had left the building a quarter of an hour

155 Ibid. 156 Ibid. 157 Ibid. 158 Ibid. 159 Jennifer Sutherland. Because there was no certainty that the music would be recovered, a valuation assessment was done to facilitate a possible insurance claim. 66

before the earthquake struck. Although the music has been recovered (and this didn’t happen until June 2011) it remains in storage at the carriers’ premises and is still inaccessible. In addition, the removal was carried out by contractors who simply stripped the shelves and loaded everything into around 300 boxes. These boxes are not labelled, and to add to the confusion, the music within each box is all mixed up. It will take a massive effort to sort it out, and no start can be made until more permanent accommodation becomes available. The library shelving, well-built and of very good timber, has had to be left behind and this is understood to be the subject of an insurance claim.

9.2 CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR Historically, the choral music scene in Christchurch has been centred around the choir of the Anglican Cathedral. Established in May, 1881 (which allowed sufficient time for the boys to be trained to the required standard prior to the planned opening of the

Cathedral on 1 August, 1881)160 this choir of men and boys has continued to uphold the

English cathedral tradition of choral music for the last 130 years. It has gained a reputation for choral excellence that has been recognised internationally as well as within New Zealand. Indeed, in his sermon at the special service, on Sunday 17

December, 1950, to mark the centenary of the arrival of the first settlers in Canterbury, the Archbishop of Canterbury (the Most Rev. Geoffrey Fisher) said:

I cannot forbear to say this – that in your cultural life of your community of Christchurch you have a priceless asset in the choir of the

160 Roger Couper, Jubilate: The Story of a Choir School (Christchurch: The Cathedral Grammarians Association, 2006), p. 10. In fact the opening of the Cathedral did not take place until 1 November, 1881. 67

Christchurch Cathedral.161 ... There are very few choirs in this part of the world which can carry on the great tradition, as we have had it through the centuries in England, of manifesting the glorious heritage of Church Music, in which man has expressed through the art of music, his worship of God and the sense of His majesty and greatness; and it moves me profoundly to find here so fine an example of the tradition being carried on amongst you, and I trust that you value it as profoundly as I rejoice to find it here.162

9.2.1 4 SEPTEMBER, 2010 ChristChurch Cathedral sustained very little damage in the September earthquake. The building was closed for just two weeks to enable structural engineers to carry out a thorough survey but, as soon as it was cleared for use, it was back to business as usual.

Even so, engineers continued to work in the building, carrying out strengthening work on the walls and the stained glass windows. Limited access was allowed for the recovery of choir robes, a portable keyboard and a small amount of music. One week after the earthquake, 12 September, the normal Sunday morning Choral Eucharist was sung outdoors, in Cathedral Square, as if nothing had happened. There was no evening service that day, however. By the following weekend the Cathedral had reopened and normal services resumed. The usual routine of Evensong, sung every afternoon,

Tuesday to Friday, also resumed from that point.163

161 This is how the name of the cathedral was spelled in the 1950s. 162 Parr, p. 159. I was present at that service. 163 Jeremy Woodside, Organist and Assistant to the Director of Music at ChristChurch Cathedral. Responses to E-mailed questions, received 16 October, 2011. 68

Photo: The Press ChristChurch Cathedral holds its Sunday morning service in Cathedral Square Sunday, 12 September, 2010.

Under normal circumstances the boy choristers would rehearse in the mornings

(Tuesday to Friday) at Cathedral Grammar School.164 Because both Cathedral and

School were closed for two weeks, these rehearsals had to be forgone, as were also the gentlemen’s rehearsals on a Wednesday evening after the Evensong service, and the full choir rehearsal on Friday afternoons, 5.00 – 6.00 p.m. These rehearsals resumed once the Cathedral reopened.165

164 The Cathedral Grammar School was established as a Choir School especially for the education of the Cathedral Choristers. It is one of only two such schools in the Southern Hemisphere (the other being St Andrew’s Cathedral School, Sydney). The choristers receive a scholarship to the school upon appointment to the choir. 165 Jeremy Woodside. 69

9.2.2 22 FEBRUARY, 2011 Both Cathedral and School were extensively damaged in the February earthquake and as a result the choir was forced to go into recess for a period of three weeks.166 It did not reconvene until Ash Wednesday (9 March) when the choirs and congregations of the two Cathedrals combined for a service at St Christopher’s Anglican Church in the suburb of Avonhead.167 Even then, only the men of the Anglican Cathedral Choir took part. For three weeks thereafter, the men, alone, sang the Sunday morning services which were held at Fendalton School. The boys did not resume until Sunday, 3 April.

Services continued at Fendalton until Palm Sunday (17 April) when the move was made to the Chapel of Christ’s College168 Since then the Sunday services both morning and evening , have been held at Christ’s College. Once the second school term started, early in May, service times have had to be altered to fit in with the requirements of Christ’s

College.169 The morning service is now held at 11.00 a.m. (formerly it was at 10.00 a.m.) and the evening service at 5.00 p.m. (formerly at 5.30 p.m.). There is an hour-long rehearsal before each service. Weekday Evensong services have also resumed with the full choir singing at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesdays, and the men alone on Thursdays.

Congregational attendance at these weekday services has fallen away since the

Cathedral has been out of action.170

166 See Chapter 7.2 above. 167 This Ash Wednesday evening service has become a regular event in recent years. The respective Cathedrals, Anglican and Roman Catholic, would take turns in hosting the service. The year, 2011, was the turn of the Anglicans, and the only Anglican church still standing that was large enough was St Christopher’s. 168 See Chapter 7.2 and also the map following p. 7. 169 Jeremy Woodside. 170 Ibid. With no visitors in the central city, and very little car parking available near Christ’s College, this is hardly surprising. 70

The choir has taken the opportunity to visit some of the parishes away from

Christchurch with Evensong services and recitals on Saturdays in Timaru, Geraldine,

Southbridge and Waipara. Suburban Christchurch has not been overlooked either, with visits to Barrington, Aranui and Linwood on the occasional Wednesday evening.

9.2.3 DIFFICULTIES SURROUNDING REHEARSALS With the School operating concurrently out of several different venues, normal rehearsals for the boy choristers were impossible. As previously stated, boys in years 5 and 6 were based in Ryan’s Road, Yaldhurst,171 and so rehearsals took place there, in a small room with a portable keyboard, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, from 2 - 3 p.m.172 This meant that those choristers in year 4 (who were based in Russley Business Park) and years 7 and 8 (who were at Halkett) had to be brought in (often a half-hour journey) for these rehearsals. This situation prevailed for around three weeks. Because the music that was available was limited173 these practice sessions were, not so much in preparation for services, as to keep the boys’ technique up and maintain a sense of regular routine. When the School was finally able to return to the Chester Street site, at the beginning of the second school term,174 arrangements were made for the choristers to rehearse at the Music Department at Christ’s College, every morning, Tuesday to Friday, from 8 - 9 a.m. The full choir also rehearses there on

Friday afternoons, 5 – 6 p.m.

171 See Para. 7.2 above 172 Jeremy Woodside. 173 Ibid. A small amount of music, that was thought suitable for general use, had been recovered. 174 Around late April. 71

9.2.4 LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES Perhaps the greatest inconvenience that the choir faced in those days immediately following the February earthquake, was the lack of access to the choir’s extensive music library. Different music is usually performed for each service.175 The Director of Music

(Brian Law) was granted permission to enter the Cathedral,176 and to recover the choir’s robes and music folders, as well as a few sets of music that would “be useful” during the period of Lent and Easter.177 Fortunately, Jeremy Woodside had a copy of most of the repertoire at his home, enabling him to do some private practice, and so it was possible to photocopy sufficient sets for choir use.178

Brian Law was again permitted to recover music from the Cathedral,179 and managed to bring out around 80% of the library so, from that point, the availability of music ceased to be a problem. “Occasionally” said Jeremy, “things popped up on the music list that weren’t there, and so photocopies were made”. But at some point in September, a third visit was arranged, and the entire music library has now been recovered.180 All the photocopied music has now been destroyed and the choir is working from legitimate copies. The entire Cathedral music library is now housed in a room under the

Auditorium at Christ’s College – a very convenient arrangement given that services and rehearsals are held at the College. The robes for both choir and clergy are stored in the

175 Always a different psalm. Occasionally, during my time singing with the choir, we may have repeated a setting of the service, or an anthem, that we had sung on a Sunday, on the following Tuesday. 176 The east end of the building (chancel, sanctuary, vestries and organ) were not as severely damaged as the west end (the tower and main entrance). 177 Jeremy Woodside. Lent is that period of six weeks, in the ecclesiastical calendar, from Ash Wednesday to Easter (in 2011 this was from 9 March to 23 April). 178 Jeremy Woodside. 179 Ibid. This is believed to have occurred some time in early May, 2011. 180 Ibid., 72

Selwyn Room at Christ’s College, which doubles as the College hospital. It is also the venue for morning tea after the Sunday morning service, and so it is not hard to imagine the confusion that exists there immediately after a service.

Photos: Cathedral Extra, Monthly newsletter of ChristChurch Cathedral, October, 2011

Music Library of ChristChurch Cathedral, now in storage beneath the Auditorium at Christ’s College

9.3 CECILIAN SINGERS The loss of performance venues has been just as much of an inconvenience to the smaller choirs as it has been for the City Choir. Christchurch’s premier women’s choir, the Cecilian Singers, an “equal-voiced”181 chamber choir of around 30 singers, had been using the St John of God chapel as their main concert venue.182 This building was ideally suited, aesthetically and acoustically, to the music that the Cecilians were accustomed to presenting, and it had the added advantage of a good pipe organ, as well as a good

181 Rosemary Allison, Musical Director of the Cecilian Singers. Responses (dated 21 June, 2011) to E- mailed questions. By the term “equal-voiced” Rosemary means that all parts are of equal musical importance. 182 The choir had also performed in the Music Centre chapel (Maurice Till Auditorium), Otautahi (the red- brick building opposite the Scott statue) and the former Rugby Street Methodist Church. 73

quality piano. While it suffered some damage in the September quake it was still able to be used. This magnificent stone building was severely damaged in the February earthquake however, and, while Rosemary Allison (the choir’s director) remains hopeful that it can be repaired to a usable standard, it will, in my view, be a very lengthy process. The organ has also been damaged and must remain so until the building itself has been structurally repaired.183

One of the principal considerations surrounding the choice of a substitute venue is public safety in the event of another major quake. Everyone, audience as well as performers, must be comfortable with the venue – especially with the means of egress in an emergency, and Rosemary was aware that some choir members were unhappy about singing the Sunday Mass at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Manchester Street in late

July, 2011, for that reason.184 The Cecilians were able to use the Elmwood School

Auditorium, a single-level building, for their 25th anniversary concert in June, 2011, and this proved to be a successful recital. The noise of helicopters flying overhead, while somewhat intrusive, was not as critical in the concert scenario as it was when the building was used for recordings.185

Finding a suitable rehearsal venue has also been a problem for the Cecilian Singers. The choir had been rehearsing at the Music Department at Christchurch Girls’ High School

183 A special concert was held at the Elmwood auditorium on Sunday afternoon, 25 September, 2011 to raise funds for the restoration of the chapel. I attended this concert. 184 Response to E-mailed questions 185 See Chapter 2, p. 18, footnote no. 32. 74

until September 2010.186 However, because that part of the school was unusable after 4

September, the choir moved to another building, still within the school complex. The

February quake not only aggravated the damage to the Music Department, which has since been demolished, but it also damaged the room that the choir had moved to.

Although this room is able to be repaired, the remedial work cannot be undertaken until the school closes for the Christmas, 2011, school holidays. For several weeks, rehearsals were held in the (large) lounge of a choir member’s house in Avonhead, but they are now being held in the staff room at Spreydon Primary School.187 The school

Principal has agreed to allow the choir to use these facilities until the end of the 2011 – again free of charge.188 Because there is no piano in the staff room an electronic keyboard was borrowed from another choir but, of course, this had to be transported to and from each week. The choir has since purchased its own electronic digital piano which was used for the first time on 5 September, 2011.189

No administrative difficulties have been encountered as the choir committee is able to contact members by E-mail and text messaging as required. Because of this only one rehearsal was missed, and members have appreciated that a sense of normality has

186 Ibid. Rosemary Allison is a staff member in the Music Department at Christchurch Girls’ High School, and was able to arrange for the choir to use the facilities free of charge. 187 Ibid. The father of one of the younger choir members is the Property Manager. 188 Actually it is not entirely rent-free. A baking roster has been drawn up and the members have agreed to provide muffins for the school staff morning tea on the day after each rehearsal. (Judith Harvey, President of Cecilian Singers.) 189 Judith Harvey. 75

been maintained as far as possible.190 Even the planned concert schedule has remained unaffected.191

While the choir’s own music library, stored in a member’s empty garage, has not sustained damage, the Cecilians also make use of some of the Girls’ High School choral library. Unfortunately, all music with titles beginning with the letter “J” through to the end of the alphabet was lost when the Music building was hurriedly demolished.192

9.4 JUBILATE SINGERS Another chamber choir with a reputation for tackling difficult and sometimes innovative repertoire is the Jubilate Singers – a 25 – 30 strong choir of mixed voices, founded in

1977 by Martin Setchell (now Associate Professor in Music at this University).193 Jubilate

Singers had used a variety of venues for their recitals over the years, always seeking the one that was most suitable for the programme being performed. Since 2008 they had been using St Luke’s Anglican Church, a large stone church with a brick interior, ideal for performances of liturgical music such as the “Passiontide” recital in April, 2009, which included Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, and The Lamentations of Jeremiah by Tallis. St Luke’s sustained significant damage in the September 2010 quake and could not be used. The choir’s November concert, entitled Voices of the South, featuring works by South Island

190 Ibid. 191 Rosemary Allison. 192 Ibid. 193 I am a member of this chamber choir and so I am able to write this section from my own experience. 76

Composers, was transferred to the St John of God Chapel. A copy of the programme for this concert is included as Appendix I (1).

The earthquake on 22 February, 2011, however, did irreparable damage to St Luke’s and the church has since been demolished. But in an effort to breathe some life into the

Christchurch choral scene, the choir gave a free concert on the afternoon of Sunday, 8

May, 2011, in the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Victories, at Sockburn.194 The programme for this concert consisted of well known church music, including Mozart’s

Laudate Dominum, Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine, Vaughan Williams’ setting of Psalm

90, Lord, Thou hast been our Refuge, and Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer, as well as some instrumental music by a small group of string players, and a short piece for organ.

It was the perfect concert for the circumstances, in a building with a friendly acoustic, and was well received by a very large audience. A retiring collection raised around

$2200 for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

As part of the Christchurch Arts’ Festival, which ran from 12 August, 2011 through until

2 October, 2011, Jubilate Singers had been engaged to present a concert of choral music by South Island composers.195 Originally planned for the ChristChurch Cathedral, this concert was moved to the Church of St Michael and All Angels, on the corner of

Oxford Terrace and Lichfield Street (on the very edge of the “Red Zone”), on Sunday afternoon, 14 August. The concert was entitled Southern Landscapes and the works

194 This area of Christchurch, to the west of the central city was relatively unaffected by the February quake. That is not to say that there was no damage. There was, but the land there was more stable and the damage was much less severe. 195 This was a different concert from the Voices of the South concert. Some of the items from that concert were repeated in the Arts’ Festival concert, however. 77

chosen reflected both the landscape and the life of this part of the world. Works about

New Zealand, by Professor John Ritchie (the choir’s Patron), his son Anthony (of Otago

University), as well as works by local composers Philip Norman, Patrick Shepherd,

Richard Oswin, Martin Setchell, Chris Archer, and Jeremy Woodside196 were performed, some for the first time. Archer’s piece Aroha, about what “Love” means, in terms of the land (Is it a mountain? Is it a harbour?), and Woodside’s The Small Hours (about death in the early hours of the morning) had been written specifically for the choir. A copy of the concert programme is included as Appendix I (2).

As at 24 October, 2011, preparations are under way for a concert of music by Bach,

Brahms and Bruckner which has been planned for 27 November, 2011, at Our Lady of

Victories Church, in Sockburn.

“Jubilates” have been very fortunate in that their administration, rehearsal venue (the music suite at St Andrew’s College) and library have not been affected by the earthquakes. They have been able to carry on normally once the building at St Andrew’s had been inspected and cleared for use. Some rehearsal time was lost after each of the three big quakes (September, February and June) but this was a minor inconvenience.

196 This is the same Jeremy Woodside who is the Organist and Assistant to the Director of Music at ChristChurch Cathedral, see Chapter 9.2.1. 78

9.5 CHOIR OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT The choir which sings the regular Sunday morning Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed

Sacrament has, for many years now, stuck to a regular monthly pattern of musical settings.197 Generally, this takes the following form:

First Sunday of each month: one of the “Viennese” settings, as the Oxford Companion to Music describes them.198 These settings were written for, and are performed with, orchestral accompaniment. Second Sunday: a “contemporary” setting.199 Third Sunday: a polyphonic setting.200 Fourth Sunday: a plainsong setting.

In those months where there is a fifth Sunday, a guest choir is brought in to sing the service. The regular choir has the day off.

9.5.1 SUNDAY MORNINGS, AFTER 4 SEPTEMBER Because the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was unable to be used (see Chapter

2.1) the choral Mass on the morning of 5 September was celebrated in an adjacent single- story relocatable wooden building that was a centre for the Samoan Catholic congregation. It was business as usual from the choir’s perspective, except that Haydn’s

Little Organ Mass, a setting that could be performed with a small electronic keyboard and a skeleton string orchestra for accompaniment, was substituted for Schubert’s

Mass in B flat, a setting that would have required a much larger orchestra. This was one

197 I have been singing with this choir for over five years and, at the time of the earthquakes, was choir Chairman. 198 Elizabeth Roche, ‘Mass, from the 18th century to the present day’ in The New Oxford Companion to Music, Vol. 2 (Oxford: OUP, reprinted 1984). P. 1140. These are settings composed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and others, for performance in Austrian Imperial Court Chapels (such as the Hoffburg Chapel in Vienna) as well as for the cathedrals in Salzburg and Vienna. 199 Such settings include the Frank Martin Mass for double choir, Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G minor, a Poulenc setting or even one written by a local composer. 200 Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, etc. 79

of only two occasions on which there was any change to the music programme. Mass continued to be celebrated in the Samoan Centre for a further two weeks, after which the decision was taken to use the Music Centre Chapel (Maurice Till Auditorium) which had been declared fit for use. Acoustically this was a better venue in which to perform, but space was limited and, after trying two or three different positions within the

Chapel, the choir was relocated in an upstairs gallery that occupied about half the length of one side of the nave. While this area could accommodate the singers, conditions were far from satisfactory. Several choir members were reluctant to perform there. Cramped when only the choir was there, the gallery was totally inadequate for the orchestral Mass. Yet, despite the inconvenience, “the show went on”.

9.5.2 AFTER 22 FEBRUARY With the destruction of the Chapel, the church authorities were forced to look for an alternative venue and, for four or five weeks, the school hall at Catholic Cathedral

College was used. Acoustically this building was most unsatisfactory, and the choir refused to sing Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli there because the beauty of the polyphony would have been seriously compromised.

It had always been the Musical Director’s intention that the Cathedral Choir should visit parish churches to allow their congregations to experience a choral service, and so the opportunity was taken to do this. In the period between 22 February and Easter the choir sang at the parish churches at Woolston, Beckenham, Sockburn, Bryndwr, and 80

Mairehau. From 24 April, 2011 (Easter Day) the choir has sung the weekly 10.30 am

Mass at St Mary’s, which has been designated the Pro-Cathedral. This has not found universal favour however. The Sunday Mass times at St Mary’s have had to be adjusted to accommodate the Cathedral congregation, and there has been some resentment among St Mary’s parishioners at what they see as the Cathedral exerting its influence.

People get accustomed to their routines and are liable to become upset when those routines change.

9.5.3 OTHER LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES For many years the choir had rehearsed in the Music Centre and, even after the

September earthquake, continued to do so.201 The music library was also kept there. As long as the building was accessible this was a very workable arrangement, but after the

February quake the whole Music Centre complex was “off-limits”. Finding an alternative rehearsal venue was not a problem as the choir was able to use the Music

Suite at Christchurch Boys’ High School.202 The greatest source of frustration was the fact that the entire music library was inaccessible. It is probably best not to speculate about how this difficulty was overcome, given that one faced possible arrest if found entering any building within the cordon. Suffice it to say that some items “seemed to grow legs and manage to escape from custody”. Somehow – ask not “how?” – the choir was able to continue its scheduled programme of regular Sunday Masses. It was not until the end of June, 2011 that Music Centre tenants were allowed in to recover property, and then under strict control. Most, but not all, of the library has been

201 Quite a few choir members were not comfortable being in the building which bore clear signs of cracks. Nevertheless, the structural engineers had declared the building to be sound, and so business continued as usual. 202 See also Chapter 5.5 above. Don Whelan, the Musical Director for the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, is also HOD (Music) at Christchurch Boys’ High School. 81

recovered. In addition to these losses, a valuable harpsichord and grand piano are still in the Cathedral building. These instruments will have been exposed to the weather, especially once the Cathedral dome was removed, and so will probably have to be written off.

9.6 SOUTH BRIGHTON CHORAL SOCIETY The South Brighton Choral Society has been the community choir of the eastern suburbs (the area of Christchurch most affected by the earthquakes) for over 50 years.203 Rehearsals and concerts were held at the South Brighton Community Centre (a

300 seat venue with space for a choir and orchestra of up to 70) three times a year – autumn, spring and Christmas. These concerts are usually constructed around a specific theme, and usually include excerpts from the traditional sacred repertoire, e.g. Mozart,

Vivaldi, Stainer, César Franck’s Panis angelicus, maybe some ‘spirituals’ and some lighter music, such as music from the Broadway shows. This suits both audience and choir. The choir loves doing the one-off songs from the theatre.204

9.6.1 SEPTEMBER EARTHQUAKE Apart from a brief recess of two or three weeks the choir’s programme remained unaffected. A concert, scheduled for Sunday, 5 December, 2010, at the South Brighton

Community Centre went ahead as planned. The programme included some sacred music appropriate to the Christmas season.

203 Christopher Graham, Conductor of the South Brighton Choral Society. Interviewed at Canterbury University School of Music, 2 August, 2011. 204 Ibid, 82

9.6.2 FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKE The South Brighton Community Centre hall, located right beside the Avon River estuary

(the epicentre of the February quake) was severely damaged. It has been “red stickered”.205 The “building has shifted off its foundations by around 5 cm”206 and so the choir has lost its rehearsal and performance venues in the same blow. All members hope to return there in time, but as at 27 October, 2011, it remains inaccessible.207

The choir’s assets, including a very good Yamaha upright piano, the staging, and the entire music library, were trapped in the building. Fortunately, the music library has now been recovered, but the piano and staging are still in the building. Christopher

(who is very fussy about pianos) would dearly love to recover the piano and expects to be able to do this “whenever Civil Defence has the time to arrange it”208.

After a recess of about 6 weeks the choir reassembled at St Kentigern’s Burwood United

Church, which is in New Brighton. It is a smaller venue, too small to allow a concert with anything other than piano accompaniment, but it remains their “home away from home”.209 The 2011 concert programme, which was to have included a Popular music of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s concert, scheduled for 17 April, and an At Home concert, on 17

205 When buildings were inspected by structural engineers after each of the major earthquakes a coloured notice was affixed to every entrance door. The particular colour denoted whether or not the building was safe to enter. A red notice signified that the building was unsafe and was not to be entered for any reason whatsoever. A yellow notice restricted access to essential personnel only. Even then, access was only permitted to enable the removal of fittings, such as parapets, etc., which threatened public safety. A green notice signified that a building was cleared for general use. It became customary for buildings to be referred to by the colour of the “sticker” (notice) that was displayed on the door. 206 Christopher Graham. 207 Ibid. 208 Ibid. 209 Ibid. 83

July,210 was abandoned. These concerts were replaced by a concert entitled What a

Wonderful World, at St Kentigern’s, on 28 May, and an Eastern Suburbs in Tune concert, with the New Brighton Silver Band, on 27 August.211 The choir’s usual Christmas concert will still go ahead, although changes to venue and date have become necessary.212

Unfortunately, the loss of the South Brighton Community Centre has resulted in a more than 50% reduction in audience numbers.213 It remains to be seen whether these numbers will improve.

9.6.3 JUNE EARTHQUAKE The June earthquake only made the situation worse. Having said that, the choir kept going. There was no break in routines and there was a conscious effort to carry on as usual – or as normally as circumstances would allow. It was important that members could continue to meet and talk and provide support for one another. They regard the choir as “an extended family of friends”.214

210 These concerts were to have been held in the South Brighton Community Centre. 211 Christopher Graham, E – mailed response , dated 25 October, 2011. This concert took place in the Roy Stokes Hall, in central New Brighton. 212 This concert will now be held at St Kentigern’s on Saturday, 3 December, rather than on the following day as had originally been planned. 213 Christopher Graham. Audiences of 250 – 300, have now shrunk to around 100. 214 Ibid. 84

CHAPTER 10: PERSONAL AFTERSHOCKS: HOW THE EARTHQUAKES HAVE AFFECTED THE PEOPLE INVOLVED

Just as important as the physical damage to land and buildings is the effect that the earthquakes have had on the musicians themselves. Musicians are people first, and musicians second. They are certainly not immune from the stresses and strains of life and, if anything, are probably going to feel emotions more strongly than others. Music is an emotive art, and musicians need to be in tune with the emotions contained in their music if they are to convey the intentions of the composer. It is hardly surprising, then, that some will have found it necessary to take time out in order to recover from their experiences.

It needs to be remembered that earthquakes are possibly the hardest natural disaster to deal with. Man has no control over what is going on, and has nothing solid to cling to

– both literally and metaphorically. It is the sense of total powerlessness that causes most of the psychological problems that people face. Most are in a state of shock. Many have suffered considerable loss, either in the personal sense with relatives and friends who died, directly or indirectly, as the result of the quakes, or in the material sense with property damage. Some have lost their homes, others face huge repair work, while yet more, whose houses may still be habitable, face months of uncertainty because their homes are located within either the “red” or “white” zones of the city.215 It is, therefore, important that some sense of normality be restored as quickly as possible.

215 For business and residential purposes the land in and around Christchurch has been divided into zones according to the geological structure and stability of the ground. Areas zoned “red” are considered to be unfit for building on and so people living in those areas will have to move away. Areas zoned “white” however are still being assessed. Residents in these areas do not, as at the end of September, 2011, know whether or not they will be able to remain in their homes. Naturally, this prolonged period of uncertainty is unsettling for those who are affected. 85

Let us, then, look at how the people in the orchestras and choirs examined in this paper have coped.

10.1 CHRISTCHURCH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The orchestra’s management has done everything in its power to retain the players.

“Were the orchestra to lose many players, it would have to rebuild and this would be an extremely difficult process. The decision was taken, then, to continue to pay the players for the concerts which the orchestra has had to cancel, which has lessened the burden that individual players are having to carry. However, it cannot pay the players for a concert in which it has been hired to play, such as for the City Choir, the Opera, or the

Concerto Competition, even though the players may have spent time preparing”. 216

These were not CSO concerts and they were cancelled by the organisations that had engaged them. “The loss of income for players will impact on the personnel concerned.

Some will not find it easy”.217

The wisdom of the decision to pay the players for the cancelled performances been borne out by the fact that, with the exception of the two administrative staff who became redundant, no-one has left the orchestra.218 The orchestra played in April but then went into recess for a little over a month. Work resumed in mid-June, with a lot of work in schools. There was also a concert in July. Some of the players have been offered

216 Gretchen La Roche. 217 Ibid. 218 Ibid. 86

work with other musical groups for the occasional “gig”.219 Occasionally, big corporations want a small group of players, e.g. a string quartet, to play at one of their functions, and this brings in some revenue for the players.220 Both the New Zealand

Symphony Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra have made a commitment to help by offering positions as casual players, whenever the need arises.

Both the NZSO and the APO will call on CSO members first, and will only use other players if Christchurch musicians are unable to assist”.221 Musicians in other parts of the country, particularly the APO have been doing a few fund-raising concerts to help their Christchurch colleagues.222

10.2 RISINGHOLME ORCHESTRA Several of the members of the Risingolme Orchestra have been seriously affected. One lost her husband in the collapse of the CTV building,223 while another has suffered a heart attack.224 Three have lost their home entirely – their houses have been demolished – and the homes of at least another half-dozen have sustained severe damage. The house of the orchestra’s Chairperson, in the Heathcote area, has been badly knocked about. She has young children so this has been a very difficult time for her. The home of one of the second violins is barely habitable and one of the cellists, who had to leave his house, has had to move a second time because the premises to which he went first has since been declared uninhabitable. The Principal Oboist could

219 One of the First Violins performed at a concert with the Jubilate Singers, on 8 May, 2011. See Chapter 9.3. 220 Gretchen la Roche. 221 Ibid. 222 Ibid. 223 Anthony Ferner. 224 Ibid. One cannot be sure that the heart attack was directly related to the earthquake, but the extra stress would not have helped. 87

not get access to his apartment, which was located on the edge of Hagley Park. He has not been able to check the condition of his grand piano. In the meantime, he has been living in Australia and, as far as could be ascertained, was still there in October, 2011.

As the result of these upheavals, most of those members who were worst affected missed some rehearsals and so did not play in the orchestra’s concert on 22 May, 2011.

The first violin section was reduced to six players instead of the usual ten.225 A replacement oboist (a professional) had to be brought in as replacement for the member who had gone to Australia.226 “These events have had a tremendous impact on the orchestra as a whole. The orchestra is rather like an extended family, and there is a real solidarity among the members. It is not just a Thursday morning thing [rehearsals are held on Thursday mornings+, it means far more than that to all the players.”227 They were keen to return to their routine as soon as they could regardless of whatever else was going on.

10.3 CHRISTCHURCH CITY CHOIR A brief recess during March, 2011, has allowed members the chance to get themselves back together and sort their affairs out. Since the beginning of April, 2011, the business of the choir has continued, and this sense of normality is most important. Tuesday

225 Anthony Ferner. 226 Ibid. 227 Ibid. 88

night, 7.30 pm, Rutland Street; everyone knows where they are.228 Getting there was a problem for some, because of the state of the roads. The impact on several members, with housing damage, business closures, and financial issues, has been severe, but there has been no loss of membership as the result of the earthquakes. No members have moved away from Christchurch or have left the choir. In fact, several new members have joined and there are more wanting to come in.229 The choir is in good heart. Resilience is showing through. This has shown us all how much we need the arts.

10 .4 CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR There has been some fallout from the earthquakes. Two of the boys have left

Christchurch, one for Adelaide and the other for Hamilton, and one of the bass “gap” students returned to the United Kingdom in mid-March, 2011.230 It is also understood that a certain level of tension exists among some of the men of the choir, and that this is entirely due to earthquake stress. At the end of the day, though, “this is their job and they are still being paid the same amount as before”.231 Jeremy does not know the personal circumstances of choir members but understands that “a couple of the choristers’ homes have sustained damage, but nothing too serious”.232

228 Jennifer Sutherland. 229 Ibid. 230 Christchurch Cathedral is (or was) recognised as a good place for young music students to come to before they embark on their studies at university in Britain. Most will see their time in Christchurch as good preparation for their study, particularly at Oxford. The practical experience gained in singing with the ChristChurch Cathedral Choir enables them to slot into the Collegiate Chapel scene in England, where choral students sing in these Chapel Choirs and receive credits towards their degrees. Others come here after completing their qualifications to gain experience that will lead to a lay clerk’s position in an English cathedral. 231 Jeremy Woodside. 232 Ibid. 89

The choir administrator’s house in the eastern suburbs was extensively damaged in the

September earthquake and she and her husband were forced to leave. They obtained rental accommodation in Cracroft.233 However, this area of Christchurch was badly affected by the February quake, and so this person also relocated to Hamilton in mid-

September, 2011.

The boys seem to be in high spirits, and several new probationers have been auditioned.234 It is ironical that, while they will be members of the Cathedral Choir and will be able, proudly, to wear the designation “Cathedral Chorister” on their school blazers, they, along with the year 4 boys (the youngest who sing the daily services) will never get to sing in the Cathedral.

10.5 CECILIAN SINGERS Cecilian Singers are also fortunate in that none of the members has had to leave the choir, either permanently or temporarily, as the result of the earthquakes. All members have been keen to carry on, although one member who is known to me, and whose house has sustained severe damage to its concrete slab floor, has indicated that she will be moving to Hamilton.235

233 This area is located at the foot of the Cashmere Hills, just to the west of Princess Margaret Hospital. 234 Jeremy Woodside. 235 She does have family in Hamilton 90

10.6 JUBILATE SINGERS Three “Jubilate” members (a soprano, an alto and a tenor) have lost their homes.

Another soprano is still, as at 12 September, 2011, living with the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not her home will have to be demolished. She suspects that it will.

The homes of two or three other members have received major damage. The alto, referred to above, who had been with the choir for about ten years, has now left

Christchurch, and moved to New Plymouth, permanently.

10.7 CHOIR and ORCHESTRA of the CATHEDRAL of the BLESSED SACRAMENT This is a voluntary choir and not all members attend every week. Most have continued with the choir but one soprano and one alto have left Christchurch permanently.

Another two altos have not attended since February and so it must be assumed that they have dropped out, while a soprano, who is known to be suffering from severe earthquake stress, is taking time out. The homes of two or three others have been severely damaged. One of the orchestral players (a regular first violin, whose house, in

Redcliffs, is no longer habitable) moved to Timaru for about seven months before moving, again, to North Canterbury. Even so, she has continued to make herself available to play whenever possible.

91

10.8 SOUTH BRIGHTON CHORAL SOCIETY These quakes have had a serious impact on the members of this choir. The area of

Christchurch in which they live has been the most affected of all. Many members have suffered serious damage to their homes.236 Several quite elderly members (a few in their 80s) have either retired as the result of the upheavals, or have needed to take time out to enable them to attend to their domestic circumstances. As a consequence choir is now in a weakened position. Around eight members, out of a choir of forty, are still not singing as at 27 October, 2011. Personal survival takes precedence in situations like this. In at least one case a member has had to provide care for a close relative. The earthquakes have also been the catalyst for the departure of 3 members who have retired earlier than Christopher would have expected.237 One of these had been with the choir for more than 20 years. Unfortunately it is the most experienced singers, the older ones, who are having to take leave.

236 Ibid, 237 Ibid. 92

CHAPTER 11: THE RECOVERY: CONCERTS INTENDED TO RAISE THE MUSICAL SPIRITS OF CHRISTCHURCH

11.1 CHRISTCHURCH SINGS As a means of showing that the spirit of choral music is still alive and well in

Christchurch, and as a morale-boosting exercise for singers, a concert involving more than 500 members of adult and secondary school choirs was organised for 4

September, 2011, the anniversary if the first big earthquake. This concert was held in the CBS Arena, as part of the Christchurch Arts’ Festival.238 The New Zealand Secondary

Students’ Choir, under their director, Andrew Withington,239 took part, along with the gentlemen of the ChristChurch Cathedral Choir, the City Choir, and members of other

Christchurch choirs. The highlight of the evening was a performance of the Fauré

Requiem, which was sung by the massed choirs, accompanied by the Christchurch

Symphony Orchestra, and conducted by Withington. Soloists for the Requiem were

Amina Edris (soprano)240 and Daniel O’Connor (baritone). The collegiality shown by all the singers, young and old, made this a very meaningful experience.241

Nature has a sense of humour. During the course of this concert the city was shaken, twelve months to the day after the initial event, by quite a strong quake.242 Strangely, none of the performers at the concert seemed to be aware of it.

238 Christchurch Arts Festival, Brochure for the Christchurch Arts Festival: 12 August – 2 October, 2011 (Christchurch: Arts Festival Committee, 2011), p. 31. 239 Andrew Withington is a graduate of this university. 240 Amina Edris is a voice performance student at this university. 241 Comments made to me by singers who had been involved. 242 Geonet. It was a 4.4 magnitude quake, 7.5km deep, centred 20 km west of Christchurch. 93

11.2 SPECIAL CONCERT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CSO AND COURT THEATRE:

Another concert, organised by Christopher Doig, (Chairman of the Southern Opera

Trust, and a former operatic tenor of international renown, himself) 243 was staged at the CBS Arena on Thursday, 6 October, 2011, in support of the Christchurch Symphony

Orchestra and the Court Theatre (a professional theatre company that had been based at the Arts Centre).244 This concert featured one of the world’s best-known tenors,

Placido Domingo, along with the Welsh mezzo, Katherine Jenkins. Not surprisingly, with guest artists of such renown performing, without fees, the Arena was packed out with an audience of more than 8000.245 As the result of this concert, $301,588 was raised.246

Domingo and Doig were known to each other and when the invitation to perform was offered, Domingo, who had lost four of his relatives in the disastrous Mexico City earthquake of 1985, was keen to support the Christchurch arts community. Said

Domingo:

I wish I was simply here for a concert, a normal concert, which I do round the world, but unfortunately I am here because of the circumstance in February. I am very happy [that] I can help to ease the pain, and to get together to make beautiful music, and to try, for a little while, to forget about [the hardships], and to see what we can do with the results of the concert.247

Regrettably, for some of the audience, the performance was “miked” to compensate for the less-than-satisfactory acoustic for this type of programme, at the Arena, as well as to enable the concert to be heard by those specially invited guests who were occupying the glass-fronted “corporate boxes”.

243 Sadly, Doig, who was present at the concert, died of cancer one week later, on 13 October, 2011. 244 Keith Lynch, in The Press newspapers of 6 and 7 October, 2011. 245 Ibid. 246 Ibid. 247 Ibid. 94

Photo: Don Scott The Press Placido Domingo and Katherine Jenkins at the fundraising concert in the CBS Arena, Thursday, 6 October, 2011

The orchestra that accompanied the singers for this concert was the National Youth

Orchestra of New Zealand.248 Domingo gasped in amazement when he met the orchestra and saw how young the players were, but was filled with admiration at the standard achieved. An experienced conductor, as well as being one of the greatest living opera stars, Domingo took the opportunity to conduct the orchestra during a brief rehearsal with them, and also took the baton for the ‘Intermezzo’ from Mascagni’s

248 Both the NZSO and the CSO were unavailable for this concert. CSO was in Japan, performing a series of concerts to show Christchurch’s solidarity with the Japanese people, who had also experienced a devastating quake and tsunami. 95

opera Cavalleria Rusticana at the concert.249 The players will doubtless have gained much from the experience.

Photo: Stacy Squires The Press Placido Domingo conducts the National Youth Orchestra of New Zealand in rehearsal, 5 October, 2011

11.3 NEW DEVELOPMENTS: THE CHRISTCHURCH POPS CHOIR Many musicians, both amateur and professional, have been unable to perform as the result of the lack of facilities, and have found themselves existing in a sort of musical vacuum. There has been a definite need for people to become involved in the sort of musical activities that would not only provide enjoyment but would take their minds off

249 Hugh Roberts, Principal flute, National Youth Orchestra of New Zealand, a performance student at Canterbury University. 96

whatever difficulties they were facing. And so, a headline in the ‘Go’ supplement to The

Press, dated 26 August, 2011, announcing that a “new choir had popped up”,250 was a sign that steps are beginning to be taken to fill the vacuum. Director, Luke Di Somma

(who is also conductor of the Christchurch Youth Orchestra, see chapter 6.2) had always wanted to start a contemporary pop music choir but, until the earthquake of 22

February, 2011, people were too busy going about their normal business to think about how else they might occupy their time. As he says, “Suddenly there were many talented people [who had] not much to do, and so it seemed like a great time to start something”.251

This new 50-something voiced, mixed choir will concentrate on the contemporary repertoire of jazz, rock, pop, gospel, and musical theatre – music ranging from Gershwin to Gaga. The aim is to make this music enjoyable to both performers and audiences, whether they be older folk in rest homes or the younger generation in a large stadium.

Music like this should be uplifting as well as fun. At the same time, though, it needs to be well-done. It is a cycle; the better the standard of perfomance, the greater the enjoyment; and the more the performers enjoy themselves, the better will be the performance. This is exactly the right move for a situation such as Christchurch is living through, and so we wish this new venture every success for the future.

250 This pun was a rather obvious attempt by the Headline Writer to catch the eye, as well as to introduce a choir that would be working mostly in the pop music domain. 251 Luke Di Somma, as quoted in ‘New choir pops up’ printed in the ‘Go’ supplement to The Press, 26 August, 2011). 97

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The main difficulty faced by musical organisations in and around Christchurch is the loss of performance venues. With so few of the larger venues now available, the demand has increased to the point where both the Aurora Centre and the CBS Arena are fully booked well into 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. Where organisations such as the

NZSO, CSO and, in some cases, City Choir, bring in international conductors and/or soloists, the “window” of availability for these guest artists is usually very narrow, which necessitates bookings so far in advance. Another factor which has to be considered is the seasonal nature of the music being performed. Some major choral works, for example, are only relevant to a specific event in the ecclesiastical calendar,252 and so the choice of suitable dates for these performances is severely limited. Timing, then, is important, but so too is the nature of the venue. Music that was intended to be performed in a church may “work” in a town hall (which is a neutral environment) but would usually be out of place in a general purpose events centre or converted sports stadium. However, that is the situation that Christchurch now faces. For musicians, it is simply a case of making do with whatever is available.

For those concert performances requiring a smaller venue, the choices seem to be limited to the auditoria at various schools around Christchurch:

Cashmere High School Christ’s College Elmwood

Middleton Grange Villa Maria Hornby High School

Jack Mann Auditorium, at Canterbury University, College of Education,

252 Bach’s settings of the Passion, and Stainer’s Crucifixion lose impact unless they are performed in the days leading up to Good Friday. Likewise Handel’s Messiah is more effective when performed either just before Christmas or at Easter. 98

or alternatively, to the few local churches that remain undamaged:

St Augustine’s, Cashmere St Christopher’s, Avonhead

St Mary’s, Manchester Street Our Lady of Victories, Sockburn.

Christchurch is, therefore, grateful to the school principals and clergy concerned for allowing these premises to be used for concerts. Their generosity has gone some way towards filling the vacuum that has existed in the musical life of the city.

The same also applies to the day-to-day running of most musical organisations. With the inaccessibilty of office records and equipment, the loss (even if only temporary) of instruments, and the unavailability of music libararies, music making in Christchurch has become something of a logistical nightmare. Administration staff are working in makeshift accommodation, often in a spare corner of a warehouse, but regardless of the surroundings, the work still continues.253 For the majority of the orchestras and choirs covered in this paper, finding a suitable place for rehearsals has been an exercise in itself.254 Every available space is being used. Yet, despite the difficulties, the musical life of the city has survived “bloodied, but unbowed”. The determination to carry on, as though nothing has happened, is still very strong, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the schools. “Where there is the will, there is a way”, and the success of schools such as Chisnallwood Intermediate and, to a lesser extent, St Bede’s College, in maintaining their music programmes bears testimony that this ancient proverb remains

253 The Christchurch School of Music, in particular. 254 Only two of the groups covered in this paper, the Canterbury Philharmonia Amateur Symphony Orchestra, and Jubilate Singers, have been able to carry on as before. The Christchurch City Choir continues to use the Rutland Street Church as its rehearsal venue. Library and administration functions were seriously affected, however. 99

true today. It is also a reflection of the dedication of the teaching staff in those schools.

Adaptability is the keynote, and the degree of resourcefulness shown has been amazing.

This determination to carry on has not been without its price, however. The effects of the disasters on the people concerned; physically, emotionally and, of course, materially, have been beyond what could ever have been imagined. People remain reluctant to attend events in buildings, especially multi-level buildings, unless there is an easy means of egress. The fear of being caught in a building collapse, should another major earthquake occur, is very real. Given what happened in the CTV building after the

February quake, this is understandable. It is one reason why the CSB Arena will be used as a venue for some time to come – there are plenty of exit doors. Financial aspects also have had to be taken into account. With many people, especially those with business interests that are located in “Red Zone” areas of the city, facing a reduction in income, and other earthquake-related expense, musical groups have had to consider how many concerts the public can tolerate, and how much audiences will be prepared to pay to attend. This has caused the larger orchestras and choirs, particularly, to examine how they will need to operate in the years that it will take to rebuild the city. It is true that there is a hunger for live music, but all performing groups need to be aware of the wider picture.

100

As we have seen, all of the musical organisations covered in this paper involve personnel who have suffered considerable inconvenience arising from the earthquakes.

Members of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra will have suffered financially as the result of concert engagements being cancelled and, although I have no specific details, it would be safe to assume that several have experienced physical or material loss to some degree. Of the other orchestras, the Risingholme Orchestra has been severely affected. With one member widowed as the result of the February quake, and three others who have lost their homes, not to mention those who continue to live in severely damaged houses, it is amazing that the orchestra has been able to carry on at all. But survival, even for an organisation like an orchestra, is a powerful instinct.

Among the choirs in Christchurch, the hardest hit would have to be the South Brighton

Choral Society. Many of the members are elderly and this, combined with the fact that the area of the city where most of them live suffered a greater degree of damage than the remainder of Christchurch, has taken its toll on the choir. The following is a summary of losses experienced by the choirs reviewed in this paper:

Permanent Taking Membership Departures Time Out South Brighton Choral Society 40 3 5

ChristChurch Cathedral 30 3

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament 30-35 4 1

Cecilian Singers 30 1

Jubilate Singers 26 1 101

Despite all the obstacles resulting from the earthquakes, the events of 2010 and 2011 have clearly demonstrated how much we need music. Music provides us with a kind of emotional safety valve. We may exist without music, but we cannot live without it.

COROLLARY TO THIS PAPER

Since this paper was written there has been an anouncement to the effect that one of the worst-affected areas of the Central Business District, the Cashel Mall area, covering that section between Hereford Street (South side only) and Tuam Street, and between

Oxford Terrace and Colombo Street, is to be reopened on Saturday, 29 October, 2011,

(see Appendix N.)

102

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Couper, Roger, Jubilate: The Story of a Choir School (Christchurch: Cathedral Grammatians Association, 2006).

Law, Brian, ‘From the Director of Music’ in Cathedral Extra: the Monthly Newsletter of ChristChurch Cathedral, October 2011 (Christchurch: ChristChurch Cathedral).

Parr, Stephen, Canterbury Pilgrimage: The First Hundred Years of the Church of England in Canterbury, New Zealand (Christchurch: Centennial Committee of the Diocese of Christchurch, 1951).

Rainbow, Bernarr [sic], The Land Without Music: Musical Education in England 1800 – 1860, and its Continental Antecedents (London: Novello, 1967).

Roche, Elizabeth, ‘Mass, from the 18th century to the present day’ in The New Oxford Companion to Music, Vol. 2, Denis Arnold, Ed. (Oxford: OUP, reprinted 1984).

Van Beynen, Martin, ‘After the Quake’ in The Big Quake: Canterbury, September 4, 2010 (Christchurch: The Press, 2010). The New Zealand Herald, 12.51: The Story of the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake (Auckland: The New Zealand Herald, 2011).

The Press, The Big Quake: Canterbury, 4 September, 2010 (Christchurch: The Press, 2010)

The Press, Earthquake: Christchurch, New Zealand, 22 February, 2011 (Christchurch: The Press, 2011).

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RED ZONE 22 February, 2011

Pyne Gould Corporation Buildin§ 18 lives lost

Canterbury Television i~=:;;z" Building 116 lives lost