Adam Chamber Music Festival ends on high note

Adam Chamber Music Festival ends on high note

The Adam Chamber Music Festival completed its run with a sold-out Grand Finale at Nelson Cathedral on Saturday night, leaving music-lovers wrapt with the quality of the performances – and businesses happy with the late summer boost in trade.

Over ten days, close to four thousand tickets were sold to 30 events, with most of the evening concerts sold out. Tickets went on sale in October and many sold to out of towners – a lot from Wellington but some from Australia, Europe and the USA.

Festival co-artistic director Helene Pohl put the attraction down to it ‘creating a moment of utopia that is outside the reality of this world’.

Festival trust chair Colleen Marshall says a ‘community of interest’ has built up around the Adam.

“People were overwhelmed after attending concert after concert of profound and rarely heard works, played by musicians of the very highest international standing,” she said. “Our audiences love the festival and everything else Nelson has to offer.”

This is reinforced by businesses, from fashion boutiques to restaurants.

“We had a very busy week with people coming in at 5.30 to eat before they went concerts,” said Kevin Hopgood of Hopgood’s Restaurant & Bar.

This is echoed at nearby Ford’s Restaurant, where manager Dorian Burger said the festival had attracted a whole new crowd to Nelson and had been ‘absolutely fantastic’, lifting trade to Christmas levels.

Jane Palm of Palm Boutique said she’d had repeat business this year from Wellingtonians and others from further afield.

“They love Nelson’s more intimate boutique shopping – we’ve had a lot of festival goers through and they are all so positive about it.”

Judy Finn from Neudorf Vineyards said the festival brought visitors to the region who were interested in enjoying the very best that life had to offer.

“The festival certainly gives Nelson a chance to share its food and wine and to create a long term image that positions us at the upper end of the visitor market.”

The 2009 festival generated a net spend of $1.5 million, according to a report commissioned by the Nelson Regional Economic Development Agency from Wellington-based McDermott Miller. The agency is conducting a survey for a repeat report this year.

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