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| In spite of many admirers of classic music in Auckland, there are less and less of those who want to learn how to play some of the old instruments that celebrate the Pacific heritage of the nation |
The history of choral music in Auckland goes back to the times of first English settlers who brought with them music traditions of their country which, in the mid 19th century, had its strongest roots in choralism. Church singing of part-songs and oratorio influenced on founding many church choirs and choral societies. At first, vocal talents appeared, followed by instrumental development. The Choral Society, founded in 1855, marked the beginnings of music tradition in Auckland giving a performance of Handel’s Messiah. By the 1864 much of the country’s major cities had their own choral society and soon there were male voice choirs, women’s choirs and many amateur operatic societies, many of which have maintained their existence up to today. Concerning choral music, Terence Maskell is the name of a music director of superb choirs from South Auckland roots, with a strong Maori and Pacific influence. The New Zealand Choral Federation, founded in 1985, has many branches all over the country. NZCF-Auckland is ran by the chairman Leonie Lawson and the organization gathers only members with an interesting choral singing. The city counts numerous choirs varying from male choirs, boys’ choir, girls’ choir, university choir, youth choirs or many others. Some recent surveys have shown that classic music has a smaller, but significant audience, especially after the Second World War when numerous leading classical artists visited Auckland. Today, the professional music is led by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the Auckland Chamber Orchestra. Asian students also make a great contribution to classic music in the city. When it comes to the composition in the country at all, it has developed since 1940s with Douglas Lilburn also under the strong influence of Asian and Pacific music.
Since the 1980s Auckland became the most important city in the country regarding popular music. In 2007 it was home to most of the music and record companies, music magazines, TV and radio stations. Auckland’s biggest music festival is the Big Day Out, drawing annual crowds of 30,000 each summer. The variety of pubs and clubs across the city charish different music styles and tastes with Karangahape Road as the heart of Auckland’s dance culture. Music scene in the entire Auckland region has strong influence of hip-hop culture, that started here back in the 1980s from American Samoa. It was than revitalized by second and third generation Pacific Islanders who lived in central and south Auckland. The hip-hop culture in Auckland nurtures all parts of this unique kind of music such as graffiti, rap, clothing and community programmes. The most popular hip-hop artists from Auckland include Che Fu and Nesian Mystik who had a great influence on popular music. Another most popular form of music is raegge, under influence of rastafarianism, strongly present with Tongans born in Auckland. Although South Auckland has reputation for social problems, lyrics by Pasifika Aotearoa music groups such as the OMC (Otara Millionaires Club) often praise areas of South Auckland with a strong Pacific identity. Pasifika festival at Western Springs contributes to the spectacle and strenghtening of this identity.
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| Phoenix Foundation at the Big Day Out |
This festival that celebrates art, culture and lifestyle of Pacific Islands takes place each March and makes one of the largest community events in the South Pacific. The festival is part of the Celebrate Pasifika, an annual programme of events that grew out of the popularity of the Pasifika Festival. Located in Auckland, as the home of the world’s largest pacific population and the largest pacific festival, the festival has grown into the leading event of this kind in the country.
Since Auckland is regarded as the number one city in the country concerning music and entertainment, it is home to the country’s most prestigious music event that celebrates excellence in recorded music. The awards belong to honoring recording artists who have made a significant contribution to the country’s music since 1965. A large attention is also dedicated to the media and local music industry.
Many Auckland parks are home to free concerts to the public where they foster the local music scene and industry what also helped many profile Auckland artists such as Goldenhorse and Nathan Haines in the early stages of their careers. The most popular events are the ones held each summer with over 40 concerts that present free kiwi music in Auckland’s parks and reserves. Jazz at the Rotunda is one of many events held within this programme and it is regarded as the Auckland’s longest running annual jazz festival. The historic Auckland Domain is home to this event that counts more than twelve weekly jazz concerts each year.
Since the 2007’s Big Day Out was a complete sell out in Auckland, it is expected that the 2009 will be even greater with numerous artists from all over the world such as Rage Against The Machine, Bjork, Arcade Fire, as well as the UK’s grime hip-hop sensation Dizzee Rascal. Local heroes, such as Shihad, Phoenix Foundation or Katchafire, are to be expected too. Mount Smart Stadium is the place where this amazing events takes place each year at January. This event has an international character: namely, it takes place in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth as well. A part from the year of 1998 when festival didn’t take place at all, it is being run in Auckland city since 1994, parallel with the events in major Australian cities.
