Poetic performance captured on new CD

MEDIA RELEASE

Poetic performance captured on new CD

When leading New Zealand poet Cilla McQueen reads her work audiences are captivated not only by her accessible and wide ranging poems, but also by the drama and musicality of her performance.

This strong performance is encapsulated in a new sound recording. A Wind Harp features the voice and lyrics of Cilla McQueen, supported by original music from Dunedin musicians, The Blue Neutrinos.

A Wind Harp brings together work from twenty years of performance and publication, with poems selected from three of McQueen's books: Axis (2001), Markings (2000), and Soundings (2002).

The Blue Neutrinos came together specifically for this recording project. They are Norm Bresanello, Rob Murphy, Ross Nicolls, Mike Pearce, Jimmy Taylor, Doug Wright, with Dave Cooper on saxaphone. All are experienced musicians who have been in various bands throughout New Zealand, and McQueen has worked with them all in various projects since the mid 1980s.

'Mike Pearce put together this expert combination. He has produced the CD with great skill and a very good ear,' says McQueen. 'The recording sessions were excellent - each musician brought a creative strength to the playing and the composition, fitting the music to the tones and rhythms of my language with an intuitive grasp of mood and thematic connection.'

Everyone enjoyed the experience so much they are planning to record more projects together.

A Wind Harp is published by Otago University Press.

Cilla McQueen is available for interviews.

About Cilla McQueen Cilla McQueen's first book of poetry, Homing In, was published in 1982. It was awarded the PEN/Jessie McKay Award for Best First Book of Poetry and the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry in 1983. McQueen's Benzina (1989) and Berlin Diary (1991) also gained New Zealand Book Awards for Poetry. The poet has held literary fellowships in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Germany, and is based in Bluff, at the southerly tip of New Zealand's South Island. Her tenth book of poetry, Fire-Penny was published by Otago University Press in 2005.

New Releases Disputing Histories: Imagining New Zealand's Pasts Edited by Tony Ballantyne & Brian Moloughney Release: April 2006 Web: http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/booksauthors/2006/disputed_histories.html

Gathering for God: George Brown in Oceania Helen Bethea Gardner Release: April 2006 Web: http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/booksauthors/2006/gathering_for_god.html

A Wind Harp Poems by Cilla McQueen CD. Release: April 2006 Web: http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/booksauthors/2005/mcqueen2.html

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