Night of opera
Whangārei soprano Sophie Sparrow is visiting home during her holiday break from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London for a one-off concert with Juan Kim, A Winter's Night of Opera and Song. The show will be at the Whangārei Anglican Church, at the Regent, on August 3, from 7pm. This concert will showcase Sparrow and Kim, along with guest artists Whangārei tenor Kawiti Waetford and Wellington baritone Ben Reason who is also based in London at the Guildhall School. They will be performing music by composers such as Strauss, Donizetti, Bernstein, Mozart, Handel, and New Zealand composers Anthony Ritchie, Douglas Lilburn and Gillian Whitehead. Book tickets via Sparrow's artist Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sophiesparrowsoprano/ or email sophiesparrow@xtra.co.nz.
Leads in fly-tipping
The Far North District Council is still working to identify the person who dumped a truckload of rubbish at the Mt Bledisloe lookout in Waitangi Forest around July 5. A council spokesman said the rubbish had been cleaned up by contractors but a staff absence had slowed the process of identifying the culprit. Earlier, upset locals found a bag of household rubbish among the mostly commercial waste with three items — a building supplies invoice, a roofing contract and a letter from ACC — naming a man at a Haruru Falls address.
Parenting with Pio
Want to learn more about being a parent? Well TV personality Pio Terei reckons he can help. Becoming a Parent Coach with Pio Terei is being held in Maungakaramea next week. In this show, the well-loved entertainer shares his heart, stories and practical parenting ideas about family life in a way that really "clicks". This presentation will have a wide appeal across all audiences. It's at Maungakaramea Memorial Hall on July 24 from 6pm. Entry is by koha/donation at the door and to register your seat online go to tinyurl.com/mgkpsgpio.
Metallers release music vid
Northland thrash metallers Alien Weaponry have released a new music video for their track Blinded, which was previously released as a B-side on their Ahi Kā 7-inch. The video is full of interesting special effects, and rather than going for a specific meaning or message, the band have decided to leave it up to viewers to garner their own meaning from it. Vocalist Lewis de Jong says: "The song has very personal meaning for me, but we wanted the video to leave things more open, so people can interpret it their own way. Piotr and Dwayne have really captured the notion of altered realities that we were going for, and we hope people will find their own messages in the images and the music." Watch the new music video at https://youtu.be/ddJTJzsGCp8. The band continue to grow from strength to strength. Currently touring Europe, the band are booked in for a US tour with Black Label Society and The Black Dahlia Murder in September followed by a bunch of headline shows including a return to Window Rock in the Navajo Nation.
