Latest from Culture
![Young composer Jessie Leov scoops up awards](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_p.png?d=784)
Young composer Jessie Leov scoops up awards
One of NZ's most exciting young composers features in two July concerts.
![Mozart’s sister gets third act in new documentary](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_p.png?d=784)
Mozart’s sister gets third act in new documentary
"Nannerl never had a hope of becoming an adult musician."
![Legendary avant-garde artist Derek Jarman’s NZ debut reveals family ties](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Legendary avant-garde artist Derek Jarman’s NZ debut reveals family ties
English painter and director Derek Jarman's first NZ exhibition spotlights Kiwi connection
![RNZ Concert presenter Bryan Crump: My double life](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
RNZ Concert presenter Bryan Crump: My double life
"I'm writing lyrics for a new version of the Batman theme song."
![Conductor brings the magic to Christchurch](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Conductor brings the magic to Christchurch
Australian native Benjamin Northey is a great advocate for Kiwi voices.
![From childhood adventures to global stages, NZ actor’s trip back to our past](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
From childhood adventures to global stages, NZ actor’s trip back to our past
John G Davies on creating Te Tupua - The Goblin from child's play to ancient inspiration.
![Chamber made: Aussie musician has all the right stuff for the NZ String Quartet](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Chamber made: Aussie musician has all the right stuff for the NZ String Quartet
Violinist Peter Clark joins the NZSQ.
![NZ Symphony Orchestra embarks on “adventure” with composer Sai Natarajan](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
NZ Symphony Orchestra embarks on “adventure” with composer Sai Natarajan
Fantasy meets orchestra when the NZSO performs Sai Natarajan's adventurous score.
![Kiwi accents: Are they cringe or part of our distinctive culture?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Kiwi accents: Are they cringe or part of our distinctive culture?
Our “ixceent” has been a source of cringing and mockery for decades but is now celebrated.
![NZ Music Hall of Fame: Hinewehi Mohi honoured for dedication to waiata](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
NZ Music Hall of Fame: Hinewehi Mohi honoured for dedication to waiata
Mohi's waiata at the 1999 Rugby World Cup has changed the country's music trajectory.
![#MeToo meets Rossini: A 21st-century reckoning for opera’s creepiest count](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
#MeToo meets Rossini: A 21st-century reckoning for opera’s creepiest count
Director embraces odious character in NZ Opera's new Rossini.
![The Bigger Picture: Willie Hona (1953 - 2024)](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Bigger Picture: Willie Hona (1953 - 2024)
Willie Hona, the big voice behind Herbs' biggest hits, dies at 70.
![Classical music with squawk: Guitarist’s new album inspired by backyard birds](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Classical music with squawk: Guitarist’s new album inspired by backyard birds
Guitarist and composer Bruce Paine on why birdsong was an inspiration.
![Remembering Vincent O’Sullivan: A life of literary luminescence and endless conversation](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Remembering Vincent O’Sullivan: A life of literary luminescence and endless conversation
Kirsty Gunn pays tribute to one of our greatest writers and poets, Vincent O'Sullivan.
![World-famous cellist got flack for loving the past](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
World-famous cellist got flack for loving the past
Baroque music lover Mimé Yamahiro Brinkmann defied her teacher to play music her way.
![The Hewitson Profile: Sol3 Mio’s Moses Mackay - from state house to opera house](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Hewitson Profile: Sol3 Mio’s Moses Mackay - from state house to opera house
Moses Mackay on the heights of Italian opera, divas, and "toxic" reality tv shows.
![The Bigger Picture: Hear them roar](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Bigger Picture: Hear them roar
Four wāhine Māori artists win big and the applause is heard from Italy to Aotearoa.
![Stephen Fry uncovers WWII tale of bravery beyond words](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Stephen Fry uncovers WWII tale of bravery beyond words
Art as resistance: How a gay Dutch painter and cellist fought the Nazis.
![Māori melodies meet Welsh song in a unique music collaboration](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Māori melodies meet Welsh song in a unique music collaboration
From opera star to language champion, Kawiti Waetford walks a new path.
![Why there’s a lot to be seen at the back of a painting](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Why there’s a lot to be seen at the back of a painting
Taking an old painting from its frame can reveal hidden clues to its creation and history.
![NZSO top brass heads to Dunedin for Strauss concerto](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
NZSO top brass heads to Dunedin for Strauss concerto
The dream Strauss concerto that gives horn players nightmares.
![How great our art: The surprising art choices of 10 NZ artists](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
How great our art: The surprising art choices of 10 NZ artists
Kiwi artists on the works they love.
![If you were going to turn Jane Austen into an opera, why would you pick Mansfield Park?](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
If you were going to turn Jane Austen into an opera, why would you pick Mansfield Park?
Inside NZ Opera's novel approach to Austen's most demanding book.
![Heart of Gold intact: Music’s artistic worth outlives market fluctuations](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Heart of Gold intact: Music’s artistic worth outlives market fluctuations
Song investment giant Hipgnosis's market downgrade can't diminish the power of a song.
![Aotearoa’s earliest photos rediscovered: Our people and places as you’ve never seen them before](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Aotearoa’s earliest photos rediscovered: Our people and places as you’ve never seen them before
Early photos provide an evocative snapshot of NZ's past.
![Meet the dance collaborators leaving a lasting Imprint on NZ dance](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Meet the dance collaborators leaving a lasting Imprint on NZ dance
Why we made: Rodney Bell and Malia Johnston on friendship, dance and making a mark.
![Toi love: NZ's new Māori and Pasifika art movement - and the gallery leading the charge](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Toi love: NZ's new Māori and Pasifika art movement - and the gallery leading the charge
Māori and Pasifika artists are at heart of a new movement that is "having a moment".
![Short Arms, Big Dreams: How classical musician dodged a trombone bullet to find harmony with the French horn](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Short Arms, Big Dreams: How classical musician dodged a trombone bullet to find harmony with the French horn
Morton Trio & Friends perform challenging rarely heard music around NZ.
![Reimagining Aotearoa's artistic landscape: Marilynn Webb's legacy explored in major retrospective](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Reimagining Aotearoa's artistic landscape: Marilynn Webb's legacy explored in major retrospective
Retrospective of artist Marilynn Webb's work places her among our most important artists.
![US percussion powerhouse Jacob Nissly rattled by big news but ready for NZSO appearances](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
US percussion powerhouse Jacob Nissly rattled by big news but ready for NZSO appearances
A musical Savile Row suit has been tailored to show off US percussionist’s best features.
![Cross purposes: Church stoush keeps art by one of NZ’s most highly regarded artists under wraps](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Cross purposes: Church stoush keeps art by one of NZ’s most highly regarded artists under wraps
An early commission by one of NZ's most highly regarded artists lies hidden in obscurity.
![Flautist’s flight:“I like uniting different cultures, places. It’s almost like I’m uniting parts of myself”](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Flautist’s flight:“I like uniting different cultures, places. It’s almost like I’m uniting parts of myself”
Review: A UN of styles mark Tessa Brinckman's collection of flute pieces.
![Highly strung and ropeable: Our female rugby greats bound together](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Highly strung and ropeable: Our female rugby greats bound together
Top rugby players to be tied together in living sculpture performance.
![Battleground bylines: Kiwi women war reporters remembered](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Battleground bylines: Kiwi women war reporters remembered
Forget images of tough-guy male war writers; two of our best were women.
![Artist Sandro Kopp: “I have no idea how people who don’t paint deal with difficult situations in life”](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Artist Sandro Kopp: “I have no idea how people who don’t paint deal with difficult situations in life”
Sandro Kopp opens his first solo exhibition at home in NZ in more than a decade.
![Why I made: I went to buy wool for a hat and ended up knitting a human skeleton](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Why I made: I went to buy wool for a hat and ended up knitting a human skeleton
Sculptor Michele Beevors makes life-sized sculptures of skeletal animals knitted in yarn.
![Classical: Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater retains its magic](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Classical: Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater retains its magic
Three centuries on, Stabat Mater still evokes shivers of delight.
![The Bigger Picture: Dame Kiri on the cusp of stardom](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Bigger Picture: Dame Kiri on the cusp of stardom
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has turned 80, but in 1966 she was beginning her international career.
![World-renowned quartet: "It just seems natural that we're coming to your country so we should play your music"](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
World-renowned quartet: "It just seems natural that we're coming to your country so we should play your music"
Kiwi music to feature when The Brodsky Quartet tours NZ.
![Why I made: Sculptor Brett Graham on war memorials and making colossal art](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Why I made: Sculptor Brett Graham on war memorials and making colossal art
Brett Graham: "Objects tell stories, narratives are important in indigenous art."
![In the words of wāhine: Women composers and poets combine for intense listening experience](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
In the words of wāhine: Women composers and poets combine for intense listening experience
Some 21 women composers of Aotearoa set words by our female poets.
![Pain in the arts: Critiquing the creative funding carve up](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Pain in the arts: Critiquing the creative funding carve up
Funding is still a long, hard battle for any kind of artist in Aotearoa.
![Classical: New radio host in the right place at the right time](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Classical: New radio host in the right place at the right time
Scotsman Andrew Clark makes his mark on RNZ Concert's Mornings.
![Why I made: The Kiwi choreographer who might be more Jackson Pollock than Michael Jackson](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Why I made: The Kiwi choreographer who might be more Jackson Pollock than Michael Jackson
Black Grace founder Neil Ieremia on branching into other art forms.
![The Kiwi expat painting the Waikato War](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Kiwi expat painting the Waikato War
Artist Richard Lewer is confronting the brutal history he was wasn’t taught in school.
![Behind the photo: The reality of photographing concerts](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
Behind the photo: The reality of photographing concerts
NZ photographer on capturing concert shots that go global.
![The Christchurch mosque attacks remembered in major musical work](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=784)
The Christchurch mosque attacks remembered in major musical work
NZSO's music memorial marks the 5th anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks.