Michael F. Williams. Photo: Supplied
Several Te Awamutu connections will be involved in the Hamilton Arts Festival early next year.
Julie Dowden
Composer Michael F. Williams, David Tasker – drag queen Piper Blaster – and violinist Julie Dowden are all tied to the Waipā town, and festival associate director and publicist Nicholas Walsh is the son of Waipā District councillor Shane.
Michael’s brother Chris is the festival chair has also written The Rug, a musical that will be on show during the event.
“Our festival line-up features almost 50 ticketed events but there’s also a tonne of amazing free performances happening in and around our festival hub,” Walsh said.
Williams will be part of an event likely to sell out, Opera by Candlelight.
“I’m very happy to be part of the Hamilton Arts Festival. Working on the string quartet arrangements of these incredible opera arias for two of New Zealand’s finest opera stars – Emma Pearson and Kristin Darragh – is a labour of love,” Williams said.
The Sunset Symphony on the Rhododendron Lawn in 2025. Photo: Hamilton Arts Festival
He is composing a piece to open the concert with a nod to the Egyptian garden location.
“I love this event. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful settings for a festival in New Zealand.”
Tasker is looking forward to being part of his fourth festival.
Michael Williams
As Piper, Tasker will have a presence as part of the roaming entertainment and is designing a garment for the festival.
“It’s nice to be included in such a wonderful event and the platform that it gives me locally as an artist, to develop and grow.
He will also be part of the Sunset Symphony, with the Trust Waikato Symphony Orchestra. The Sunset Symphony earlier this year drew an 8000-strong audience on the “main stage”, the Rhododendron Lawn.
Julie Dowden is a member of Twso, the community orchestra performing for the Sunset Symphony.
The Te Awamutu music teacher and Kihikihi Ukelele Club member moved from Auckland 11 years ago.
“Twso is like a family, we all know each other. Everybody talks to everybody in the orchestra. There’s no one person better than the other. I really enjoy the togetherness.”
The Sunset Symphony was a great way to make orchestral music “available to the man on the street”.
“A lot of people won’t go and pay to go to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra or going to the APO in Auckland because that’s not their jam,” Dowden said.
“But going to an orchestral concert, which plays middle-of-the-road stuff that everybody knows. You might hear the piece of music on an ad and go ‘oh I quite like that’.
“There will be lots of music played that people who aren’t involved in music know, like Ode to Joy – it’s out of Beethoven’s ninth symphony – but even kids know it.
“Playing that sort of music to the masses gets people involved and quite often peaks kids interest to want to learn.”
Piper Blaster has been involved in the festival for four years. Photo: William Fitzgerald
