One festival dies as another is born

By HEATH LEES

Auckland's weary trudge towards its own festival has now accelerated into a mad dash to get a three-week event up and running by next January. Organisers are hoping big, international-style events can be zapped into place for a launch at the time of the America's Cup races. Their faith is undimmed that large sums of sponsorship money will be donated at short notice.

But as this festival strains feverishly to be born, another Auckland Festival has just died of starvation. In a letter to subscribers and supporters, Uwe Grodd, artistic director of the Auckland International Music Festival, has announced there will be no festival this year, and the chances of future festivals are slim.

Klaus Heymann, owner of Naxos Records and the festival's patron, has pulled the plug on his sponsorship. With no other large donors around, the music inevitably dies.

From his Hong Kong office, Heymann sounded disappointed. "When we first started, I had hoped more local sponsors would come forward and help to carry the burden. But the festival has lost money each year, and last November Creative New Zealand refused an application for additional funding. We did get some private donors, mostly in Napier, which had its festival after Auckland, but nothing significant. Auckland City gave around $15,000 through its Arts Alive programme, but this was swallowed up by the Town Hall costs, so the money went straight back to the council."

Heymann says audiences were static, despite good publicity. "The trouble is that people in the arts in New Zealand are tribal. Others in the same music business discouraged their supporters from attending our concerts.

"Some said I was doing this festival to boost profits from the sale of Naxos CDs. Rubbish! I sell about 2000 CDs in New Zealand during the festival. Maybe I make about $3000 from that, but I put in about $160,000 in underwriting. Business-wise it becomes nonsense."

Heymann scoffed at the projected festival for January, and the $550,000 given by Auckland City towards it. "That amount of money doesn't go anywhere near artists' fees today.

"As well as underwriting the International Music Festival, I was able to persuade some of the best Naxos performers to go to New Zealand for small fees. Good artists don't come cheap, and festivals only get what they pay for."

Heymann and Grodd find it incredible that no one from the organisers of the new festival even talked to them about joining forces. "We'd have been delighted to co-operate," said Heymann, "but no one asked us."

Grodd is more frustrated. "We did so much that was absolutely right," he insists. "We had a generous overseas sponsor, innovative ideas, great concerts, an education programme and a fine track record over five years.

"We gave employment to New Zealand musicians, built audiences in a number of the country's venues, and made CDs after each festival, which took New Zealand's name out into the world. Why couldn't we get more New Zealand support? You tell me."

Margie Mellsop, the Auckland Festival project manager, says a feasibility study in 1998 showed the International Music Festival didn't want to lose its chamber music focus or Naxos brand.

Heymann disagrees, and Grodd can't believe it. "I don't know of any feasibility study No one asked me about it."

Grodd says the festival may yet revive if more New Zealand support can be found. "Maybe the new festival might find they need to involve us in some way. I'm in the phone book.

"Basically we all want the same thing - great music for this town."