Asia Pacific Festival Welcomes Intl Guests

Asia Pacific Festival Welcomes International Guests

The 2007 Asia Pacific Festival moves into top gear as it prepares for the arrival of over 50 first-class international performers.

“It’s a rare chance for audiences to experience such a diverse range of music and performance from throughout the Asia Pacific region” says Festival Director Liesbeth Kok.

Entire groups such as the nine member Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea who play a combination of traditional Korean and western instruments and an Iranian string group featuring Santur player, Qmars Piraglu will travel here instruments and all.

Other performers include bass clarinetist Evan Ziporyn of New York’s ‘Bang on a Can’ fame, Chinese Maestro Li Xincao, Australia’s didgeridoo exponent David Williams, Korean Pansori (one person) opera singer Park Aeri and Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki.

Suzuki has taken his art to the USA, Europe and the UK. His work appears in galleries, on the streets and in the countryside. Suzuki invented the glass harmonica and the Analapos, a spiral echo instrument, which he uses in performances alongside everyday items such as newspapers and plates.

All visiting international performers collaborate in some shape or form with the very best from New Zealand including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the New Zealand String Quartet, STRIKE, Gareth Farr, Richard Nunns and Phil Dadson.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketek (04 384 3840 | www.ticketek.co.nz). For more information on the Asia Pacific Festival please see www.asiapacificfestival.org.nz

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