This issue of Ritmico Online celebrates musical diversity, such as that seen each year at WOMAD. Our Government Nominee, Emeritus Professor John Drummond, argues the case that "we don't have to give up our own music to enjoy other people's..."

Temporarily living in Wellington, Dr Nicola Melville is Professor of Piano at Carleton College, Minnesota, and Artistic Co-Director of the annual Chautauqua Music Festival Piano Programme, New York. Angela Erasmuson reports on her recent masterclass in Wellington.

Having studied classical and jazz piano, classical and jazz trumpet and rock drums, life is now a rich tapestry of journeys and adventures for Ben Hunt...

Scottish music and dance is very much alive in Aotearoa New Zealand, as Christchurch teacher, Suzanne Holt, reports.

The multi-cultural choral traditions of Aotearoa New Zealand will be celebrated in 2021, thanks to the New Zealand Choral Federation’s biennial national conference. NZCF Chief Executive, Christine Argyle, explains.

Does sushi taste like fish and chips?

At the IRMTNZ Conference 2020, Bridging Cultures Beethoven 250 and Beyond, Professor Emeritus John Drummond challenged us to consider the ‘Beyond’ in his presentation, Pride Without Prejudice....
 

Christchurch's musical life is as abundant as its gardens, nurtured by the Christchurch Civic Music Council (CCMC) since 1941....

IRMTNZ AGM 2021
Our AGM will be held online at 4pm on Friday 29 January via Zoom. The link for the meeting will be emailed to members mid-January. Members intending to attend the AGM please RSVP to Cathy Martin cathy@muscat.co.nz no later than 27January. Council is looking forward to seeing you online for this special meeting.

AND THE WINNERS ARE....
Congratulations to Andrew Beer and IRMTNZ member Sarah Watkins on winning Best Classical Artist | Te Kaipuoro Inamata Toa for their album 11 Frames at the Aotearoa Music Awards. Produced by Kenneth Young and the spectacular team at Rattle Records, 11 Frames features violin/piano duos by eleven NZ composers. Listen to audio samples and purchase the album here.  

IRMTNZ MEMBERS UNDERSCORE SUCCESS
Established by the Lewis Eady Charitable Trust, the New Zealand Junior Piano Competition was held in Auckland 1 – 4 October.
Congratulations to the winner, Otis Prescott-Mason, and to all the finalists: Catherine Chang, Shuan Liu, Sunny Le, Henry Meng, William Berry and Shan Liu.   
Most of the finalists were coached by IRMTNZ members including Emma Sayers, Stephen De Pledge, Rae de Lisle, Bryan Sayer, Jian Liu and Gillian Bibby.

TURN OF THE CENTURY
Warmest congratulations to Honor McKellar BA LRAM LRSM MusB.
On the 10th of the 11th 2020 Honor celebrated her 100th birthday. Registered to teach Singing and Theory, Honor joined IRMTNZ in 1984 and is much loved Patron of Otago Branch. Amongst other achievements she studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and was one of the original singers in the New Zealand Opera Company. In 1989 she was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for services to music and she is a life member of NEWZATS.

AUCKLAND – WE’RE WITH YOU!
2020 hasn’t been an easy year for any of us, and our Auckland friends and colleagues have copped more than their share of stress and inconvenience thanks to COVID-19. Let’s spare a thought for our Auckland members: we’re with you and wish you a refreshing summer break - kia kaha!

CPD Reminder
Please provide your CPD points tally for 2020 by the end of the school term. Branch members please send your points to your Branch CPD Champion
Many thanks!

My young students absolutely love the use of colour and stickers, and can't wait to do their music theory, which is specially targeted to each string instrument....

WEBSITE: There’s more to the mazurka than meets the eye! The University of Southern California Polish Music Center explains the regional and historical complexities of this dance.

READING: Hoorah! The Listener is back in circulation thanks to Australian company, Mercury Capital, which took ownership of Bauer New Zealand’s magazine titles back in July. Subscribe to the hard copy here or digital here. 

LISTENING: Anthony Ritchie’s composition, Gallipoli to the Somme, was voted the most popular piece for 2020 in RNZ’s annual Settling the Score poll of Aotearoa’s favourite classical pieces. Visit SOUNZ to listen to this majestic work, performed by the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin City and Southern Youth Choirs, and guest soloists Anna Leese and Martin Snell.

WEBSITE: UK organisation, MusicMark, champions high-quality music education for all school aged children and young people. Their website includes a wide range of useful resources and links to resource providers, covering topics from tutorials to lesson plans, the latest research and COVID-19 guidance.  

National Concerto Competition 
Preliminaries: 8 December, 10.30am - 9 December, 1pm
Semi-finals: 9 December, 7.30pm
The Piano, 156 Armagh St, Christchurch

NZSO National Youth Orchestra
17 December, 7.30pm
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

New Zealand International Young Artists Festival 2021
Featuring workshops, concerts, masterclasses and private lessons, the NZIYAF 2021 also includes New Zealand Music Competitions for pianists and violinists:
Piano Competition 21 – 23 January 2021
NZSM, Wellington
Violin Competition 28 – 30 January 2021
Christchurch (venue TBC)

WOMAD 2021
12 – 14 March, New Plymouth