Arts Centre launches membership drive

Press, 2 March 1982, Page 12

Arts Centre launches membership drive

The Christchurch Arts Centre, in a bid to attract a wider membership, has launched a subscription drive in which it is offering to both companies and individuals a range of inducements, from, discounts on ..admission charges to the chance of winning raffle prizes. - ,The Arts Centre, which is the largest of its kind in New ! Zealand, is visited each week ■ by more than 10,000, people. . It is self-suppo.rting, and receives grants only for earth-quake-strengthening of its t old buildings, which previously housed. the University vof Canterbury' It is now. according to its director,' Mr Ray Sleeman, planning .a second stage of development to ensure that it is the most important artscommunity facility in New 'Zealand. ' . ’ -The company membership ' scheme has been launched mainly to seek support for - these developments. tn a circular sent out to a number of companies Mr. Sleeman '. says the' Arts Centre hopes to set up a fund to ensure that .it remains self-supporting, and so will not have to seek grants from State-funded organisations. "This will ensure that the Arts Centre will be able to look forward to exciting new developments as well as being able to retain the historically important buildings, which are a major city attraction," he says.

The membership fee for companies is $2OO, in return for which they are promised acknowledgement in the Arts Centre’s advertisements, substantial discounts on the hire of the Arts Centre’s facilities for their functions, invitations to all exhibitions, monthly bulletins for distribution to staff, Arts Centre membership discounts for staff, and a free family membership for heads of companies. These will entitle them to discounts at the bookshop, gallery and restaurants. •

Family and individual memberships also offer the public discounts on books and prints, meals at certain times, and admission charges to lunch-time concerts and to films. A family membership costs $24. an individual membership $lO, and a student membership s6' Senior citizens also pay only $6.

Those who join before April 1 will become eligible for a lottery in which the prizes include meals, cinema tickets, book tokens, and tickets for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s subscription concerts. 100 years A special exhibition planned for June to mark the centenary of the Canterbury University School of Fine Arts will be a highlight of a 'full programme of exhibitions arranged for this year by the Brooke, Gifford Gallery. The gallery launched its year’s programme yesterday, when it opened a one-man exhibition of new paintings and works on paper by the Invercargill-born artist. Nigel Brown. All the works in this show have been done since Brown returned last year after travelling to Europe on a Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council grant.

Among the well-known names on the gallery’s schedule of exhibitions for the remainder of the year are those of W. A. Sutton — in one of his rare one-man shows of oil paintings — Ralph Hotere. who will show more of his "Black Window" paintings. Patrick Hanly, G. T. Moffitt, and the ceramicist, Gennie de Lange.

Also planned are exhibitions of water-colours by Joanna Paul. "Constructions" by Mike Armstrong, realist paintings by Peter Siddell,

; and sculpture by Terry i Stringer and Stephen Clarke. Music at lunch 1 ’ A lunch-time recital by the visiting violinist, Marta Hidy. '• will launch the 1982 concert I series presented by the University of Canterbury School of Music. In the recital, which will begin at 1.10 p.m. on Thursday. Marta Hidy will play sonatas by Debussy .7 and Franck. The soprano, Jane Manning., will- present the second university recital at 1.10 p,.m. on Thursday, March 11. Both appear by arrangement with ; the Christchurch-Arts Festival. ' • The weekly Friday lunchtime recitals at the Centre Gallery of the Christchurch Arts Centre will resume on April 2. This joint presentation by the university.and the Arts ’ Centre management will, on most .occasions, repeat the Thursday recitals ‘at Ham. The start of the, series has been delayed until' after the festival lunch-time recitals, which are planned throughout March. The Alard Quartet, from the University off Pennsylvania, will be in residence at Canterbury for the second year in succession during the winter term, and will be heard in a series of recitals. The quartet will also teach and conduct performance workshops at .the School of Music. Gertrude revival The style of Gertrude Lawrence, one of the most . acclaimed British stars to appear on Broadway and in the West End. will be recreated by Yvonne Martin in a programme which will open in the Court Studio tonight, "Gertie." who alternated between “straight" and musical theatre, was one of the few actresses to have fullscale musicals written especially for her. Although she was never regarded as a "singer." she had — as did Noel Coward —. a special way of reaching her audience. Many of the numbers which she made famous, such as "Limehouse Blues." are still popular. Her most loved song was "Someone to Watch ■ Over Me." from "Oh Kay" (1926). and it became her signature tune. Noel Coward wrote several songs for her, and the role of Amanda in "Private Lives" was tailored to her. In “Lady in the Dark." with music by Kurt Weill, she shattered her dreamy image‘by perform-, ing “jenny" — ’ a tough.’ bawdy, dive number, in the production that was -to launch Danny Kaye to stardom.

Gertrude Lawrence commissioned Rogers and Kammerstein to create “The King and I,” and she played its premier season in 1951; she won a “Tony" award for her performance. She died during the second year of the show.

The two-hour solo performance in the Court Studio has been extensivelyresearched. Compiled and directed by Bryan Aitken, it features 21-songs, including the recently discovered “I’ve Lost My Heart in Maoriland.” which was featured in a 1918 Chariot revue, “Buzz Buzz.”

John Densem, a Christchurch pianist, has arranged the show, having scored many of the songs directly from old recordings. He will accompany Yvonne Martin.

Yvonne Martin is known in Christchurch as the leading lady of musicals, including “Kiss Me Kate" and "Carousel." She has gained further recognition as : a dramatic actress since she joined the Court Theatre at the end of 1980. and has played the roles of Mrs Elvsted in "Hedda Gabler"

and the Mother in "Ring Round the Moon."

She has also worked on musical productions at the Court — including Ken Hud- . son’s musical documentary, \ “Till the Boys Come Home," - “Fresh Revolving Pleasures,” and by A. K. Grant and Philip Norman. She is also musical director for the Ric- ■ carton Players in their pro- , duction of "Marat/Sade." Dance tour Dancers of the Limbs Company will giye two performances in the Theatre Roval and will run a work- , shop for local dancers during Easter when they make their annual visit'to 'Christchurch next month: The eight dancers of the Auckland-based company, led by their artistic director. Mary-Jane O’Reilly, have performed in many of. the country's major centres and small towns: They are known for their distinctive style of , movement which blends classical ballet, jazz,, acrobatics, and modern dance. ' ' ' ‘ The company also last year performed in the United States. Previous tours were made to Australia and Papua ~ New Guinea. Their forthcoming tour ’. will be their fourth to the \ South Island. They will visit many smaller centres for the first" time, to give public performances, school performances. and' workshops for local dancers. Limbs will be in Ashburton on April 6. Greymouth on April 14. and Blenheim on April 16. The Chistchurch performances will be'on April 7 and 8. Chorale concert Music for voices, brass, •■■ percussion and organ will be featured in a concert to be > given by the Harmonic Cho- ’’ rale in the Christchurch Cathedral on March 9. ‘i This will be the first major concert presented by the chorale since the appointment of its new conductor. John Pat-.-' tinson. last year. The programme consists of : works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries — X the period on which the chorale plans to concentrate. The chorale, which has 27 1 voices, will be joined in the • concert by eight brass players, two percussionists, >- an organist (Graham Hollobon) and the counter-tenor, • Barry Brinson. The music to'be performed ■ ■ includes three short pieces '.'' by Anton Bruckner (1824-96) 1 — the unaccompanied “Ave Maria." and.two motets for 9 mixed voices and three • trombones.

Another work, Benjamin ■" Brittens cantata “Rejoice in — the Lamb," owes its title and words to a poenr by Christopher Smart.

Leonard Bernstein is best known <as ■ the composer of the music ’ for “West Side Story." but he has also written church music, and the chorale will sing his "Chichester Psalms." commis- ‘ sioned by the Dean of Chi--Chester Cathedral (the Very " Rev. Walter Hussey, for whom Britten wrote “Rejoice in the Lamb"). Bernstein drew his text from three-Psalms — “Make ■ a Joyful Noise," "The Lord is My Shepherd." and “Lord. ’ Lord. My Heart is not;? Haughty," using several-" other verses to throw therhZinfo relief. The ideas ,oft; praise, meditation, and strife-" lead, to the peaceful ending — "Behold how good and/*, how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." The text is sung? in "' Hebrew, and the chorale will.* sing the composer’s version;*! for organ, harp, and percus- ‘ sion.

The English composer ?nd;conductor. John Rutter, is£ known for his settings and'’ arrangements of carols and-* other short works.

There is more than a Hintzof Walton’s "Belshazzar’s* Feast" in his festive setting" of the Gloria for mixed* voices, brass, percussion arid-, organ, which will complete:’, the programme. ?