Rangi Ruru Excited to Be Amongst The Piano's First Performers

A varied line-up of talented performers from Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, will take to the main auditorium stage at the newest venue in Christchurch’s performing arts precinct this week.

From Kapa Haka and contemporary dance through to national prizewinning Choral groups, Jazz and string musicians and drama performances, Director of Theatre Arts at Rangi Ruru, Peter Rutherford says this Thursday, “the place will be jumping”.

“We are all very excited about performing at The Piano. Not only is it the newest performance venue in Christchurch but being back in the CBD is significant too,” he says.

Dame Malvina Major who is the Patron of the Rangi Ruru Stellar Music Programme (which is being launched at an event prior to the Cultural Concert) and has worked closely with choral performers this year at Rangi Ruru, will be in attendance.

Former Rangi Ruru music scholar Amy Ga Hee Lee, who left school at the end of 2014, is one of New Zealand’s finest young pianists and is currently studying medicine in Auckland, will also be at The Piano on Thursday.

Karen Hu, the student Head of Music, says she and her schoolmates can’t wait to get into the central city.

“It’s really special to be heading back into the CBD with our school to perform,” she says.

Peter Rutherford agrees saying this is an important addition to the Performing Arts Precinct following the Isaac Theatre Royal reopening in November 2014.

“These students are our future. Having them engaging with the central city now in a performance venue, used regularly by schools and community groups, is really important,” he says.

www.rangiruru.school.nz

Photo op - Thursday 18 August:

Dress rehearsal: 11.30am –  1.00pm..

Please contact Ali if you would like to attend to take video / audio / stills

For more information, please contact Ali Jones on 0272473112   

For more information about The Piano, contact Lucy Powell, Perception PR / 021 242 5041 

2016 Cultural Concert: 7.30pm-9pm The Piano, Auditorium 

Tickets are available online at www.rangiruru.school.nz

$15 students / $20 adults

Limited tickets available

Additional:

The Cultural Concert in the main auditorium is a variety performance produced and emceed by the students and will showcase some of the outstanding musical talent at Rangi Ruru this year including recent Chamber Music gold and silver medal winners.

Rangi Ruru received both a gold and silver medal at the recent Chamber Music Nationals held in Auckland. Gold award winners ‘Graznya's Girlz’ (Grace McKenzie, Sarah Lawrence, Victoria Park, Rachel McSweeney) and Silver award winners ‘From Russia with Love’ (Grace McKenzie, Karen Hu, Isabella Gregory). Rangi Ruru was only school represented by two groups.

These girls will all perform as part of the Rangi Sinfonia.

At the Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival both the Rangi Ruru Jazz Band and Jazz Combo received gold awards with the Jazz Combo runner up for the Best Combo. Bass player Xiling Liu and trombone player Rebecca Harris were also selected for the prestigious AllStars band. Both groups will perform during the Cultural Concert.

The percussion group performing at the Stellar Music Programme launch (5.45pm 18 August, The Piano Foyer), is called Dodici and includes Karen Hu, who was a member of From Russia With Love (as a cellist) which won Silver at Nationals for chamber, and she is the drummer in the Jazz Band and Jazz Combo (which recently performed at the Southern Jam in Blenheim).