Musician and mental-health worker Johnny Matteson’s latest album has been sent to community radio stations around New Zealand to help fight ongoing stigma towards people with mental illness. With the help of the Like Minds, Like Mine education programme, Matteson’s biography and the album Songs of the Streets have been posted to 33 community radio [...]

Young people need to be given alternatives to drinking and getting high, says the singer in an Auckland hardcore punk band. Satin Lives vocalist Joshua Solomon says alcohol and substance abuse appeal when young people have nothing to do. “When you’re stuck in high school and forced to get along with people that you have [...]

The sounds of soul, blues, rock and jazz will fill the air over the Hauraki Gulf this Easter weekend at the Waiheke International Jazz Festival. Festival director John Quigley has organised the long-running event – for many years directed by international jazz pianist David Paquette – for the past three years. He says his focus [...]

Massad Barakat-Devine’s fans have New Zealand On Air to thank for kick-starting the singer-songwriter’s career. The 19-year-old independent musician has received more than $40,000 of NZOA funds in recent years. The grants have allowed him to concentrate on perfecting his sound, and led to the production of several music videos. According to Auckland-based Massad, NZOA [...]

Two musical sisters are giving Auckland kids a chance to embrace their individuality and build confidence through song and dance. Jasmine and Dani Plows, 20 and 19 respectively, founded Auckland Glee in March 2012, as a performing-arts club based closely on the popular TV show Glee. Members of the club, aged between 11 and 18, [...]

One day you’ll see her name in lights – well that is her plan, anyway. Emily Rice has an impressive set of pipes and a passion to share her music with the world. The 20-year-old was one of six finalists in the University of Auckland’s songwriter of the year competition, held in late September.  She [...]

A new music students’ association at the University of Auckland is aiming to bring all branches of the School of Music together. Currently, the university’s Bachelor of Music (BMus) degree offers five different majors – three performance-oriented courses (jazz, pop and classical) as well as musicology and music composition. However, students from the different schools [...]

Auckland’s oldest chamber orchestra has extended special overseas invitations to their upcoming birthday celebrations. St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra plans to celebrate their 40th anniversary with a birthday concert, featuring two guest soloists from Melbourne.   Isin Cakmakcioglu, is a violinist for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, while Rachel Atkinson teaches her instrument, the cello, at Melbourne University. The [...]

Queen of swag Azealia Banks released her latest mix tape Fantasea as a free download. The 19-track album was dropped on to the worldwide web on July 11 with fans around the world so eager to download the album the site crashed. Some had to wait nearly another 24 hours before listening. Fantasea, as a [...]