Competition Suggested For Festival Of Arts

Press, Issue 31095, 25 June 1966, Page 16

Competition Suggested For Festival Of Arts

The Christchurch Civic Music Council might sponsor a national competition for a musical work which could be performed for the first time at the festival of the arts

in Christchurch in 1968, said Mr H. G. Hay, in a talk to members of the council last evening. Mr Hay said he hoped to see the council play an active role in the future festival.

He emphasised that the organisers did not anticipate bringing to Christchurch a major symphony orchestra as it did last time.

“Our thought this time is to engage smaller groups.

soloists, or say, a guest conductor, rather than a major group,” said Mr Hay.

Within the next six months, the organising committee should have some of the major attractions for the festival arranged, he said. Mr Hay suggested that perhaps a specific theme should be considered for the festival.

“We might use as a theme religious music as we have no end of musical talent in this respect,” he said. A theme was needed to identify the festival with the city. Efforts were being made to co-ordinate the city’s 1968 festival with others to be held about the same time in other parts of Australia and New Zealand, said Mr Hay.

The Christchurch festival would begin on March 30, 1968, and would continue for three weeks. The Auckland festival would begin a week after the city’s, Adelaide’s would be at the same time as Christchurch, and the Perth festival would begin in midFebruary, 1968. Although there might be some overlapping, it was possible for visiting artists to fit in engagements with the four festivals.

Mr Hay said he hoped that the 1968 festival would be backed by a wider section of the business community than had been the case at the previous festival. He also believed that festivals were the sort of thing that the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council should support in a substantial way.