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A few words about my background in music education, governance and management.
Making Music Happen
Some years ago I was asked what I did for a living and I struggled with the answer until, finally, I decided that all I did was make music happen. This has taken the form of producing a myriad of concerts and festivals, recording numerous concerts and artists, providing live sound amplification and performing music right around New Zealand.
I have been manager of the Dunedin Sinfonia, director of the Nelson School of Music and until recently have been manager of the Adam Chamber Music Festival. I have also produced concerts and festivals in the folk music world.
40 years of serving on numerous boards have included being a trustee during the recent renovation of the Nelson School of Music, now known as the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts. I was a founder of the New Zealand Uilleann Piper's Assocation and also Ceol Aneas, the annual traditional Irish Music Festival which is going strong after 20 years since its inception.
For over 25 years I toured around New Zealand delivering music education programmes to primary schools during which time I performed to an estimated total of 300,000 students.
Technically, I have provided live sound services for a who's who of New Zealand performers in Nelson venues and festivals, plus I've provided recording services to numerous artists in the studio and at live concerts, much of which has been produced for CD or broadcast on RNZ Concert.
I feel deeply fortunate and humbled by the opportunities I have been given to explore the world of taonga puoro, the traditional instruments of Māori, knowledge around which I would now like to share with others.
In 2015 I was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music.