Molly Pawson performing at the Michael Fowler Centre on Wednesday October 13 with the full NZ Symphony Orchestra.
Molly Pawson performing at the Michael Fowler Centre on Wednesday October 13 with the full NZ Symphony Orchestra.
Pic 2: BTG251021MP2 Caption: Molly Pawson up close watching the conductor.
Pic 3: BTG181021MP Caption: Molly performing with guitar singing Bellbirds Call for Dannevirke Host Lion's Senior Citizen's Christmas Dinner in 2020.
Pic 4: BTG251021MP3 Caption: Molly performing in Helen Carver's Concert at St John Anglican Church September 2019.
By Dave Murdoch
Very talented and highly skilled, but also extremely modest, Molly Pawson from Dannevirke has won a huge vote for her musicality by being selected to perform her original song with the backing of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Starting off as a youngster in Dannevirke under the tuition of Helen Carver, Molly soon became her star student both for her guitar playing and her singing while gaining a reputation among the many groups she volunteered to entertain.
She became the first person of choice to select for entertainment with the Dannevirke Host Lions Club and over the years she has demonstrated a readiness to tackle any kind of song from old-time to country to pop.
She also began to write her own songs and has developed quite a repertoire including a popular song Bellbirds Call.
Three years ago she went to Napier Girls High School to further her musical education. It was not long before she stood out and as a Year 9 student was lead singer in a band called The Jaysins. Recently her band came third in the Hawke's Bay Rockquest.
On Wednesday, October 13, she had the opportunity to perform in front of the biggest backing group she could ever imagine – the NZ Symphony Orchestra.
The NZSO invited all secondary school students to submit an original song. She had to send a video of her performing and an introductory background to her experience in music so far.
Molly recorded Bellbird's Call in her bedroom and Mum Stephanie helped to write the introduction.
A month later to her amazement Molly found out she was one of four to be selected nationwide. Unfortunately, before the arrangements could be put in place Covid-19 lockdown came into place.
The plan was originally to perform in the Alan Gibbs Centre at Wellington College in front of an audience under level 1 but since it is level 2 the event took place on Wednesday, October 13, at the Michael Fowler Centre with an audience limited to family.
Molly said she was "terrified to perform" and had huge butterflies in her stomach but they "disappeared in the first few bars of her song" at the first of the Tuesday rehearsals.
She said performing with the NZSO was "an incredible experience from the moment she first walked into the huge and beautiful Michael Fowler Centre".
"Although I have performed on the Dannevirke Town Hall Stage, nothing had prepared me for this."
Molly said the orchestra had just amazing musicians and their playing brought her song "to life, the violins adding a touch of nature, the harp the sound of water and the drums and brass at full pitch making [it] more dramatic".
She said meeting two of the other musicians selected from high schools was "really neat" and they all had great songs.
Stephanie said seeing her daughter performing with the NZSO was "an incredible experience".
The NZSO reported "The Michael Fowler stage has been graced by three top-notch singer-songwriters this week. Molly Pawson, Gabi Summerfield and Cece McMillan shared their songs with us in a recording session today and yesterday alongside music director Emeritus James Judd. A special shout-out goes as well to Grace Allis, who was also due to perform with the NZSO but was unable to join us in Wellington."
Now it is back to school for Term Four for Molly and Level One NCEA, still coming to grips with the enormity of her experience as the holidays end. The recording will be released soon.
