Bringing top musicians to Wanaka, WCS is committed to creating opportunities for Wanaka locals and visitors to experience the very best of the world's musicians.

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Central Lakes Trust

Chamber Music New Zealand

Festival of Colour

Queenstown Lakes District Council

Three Lakes Cultural Trust

Wanaka Concert Society is an Incorporated Society and Registered Charity.

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Wanaka Concert Society

Pianist Jeffrey Grice was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

A student of Janeta McStay and Bryan Sayer at Auckland University (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music), in 1976 he was awarded a Queen Elisabeth Arts Council grant and a French government bursary to study in France with Yvonne Loriod and Germaine Mounier, obtaining in 1978 a Licence de Concert from the Ecole Normale Superieure de Musique de Paris. 

In 1979, he moved to Israel for a year to consolidate repertoire with Enrique Barenboim. Other formative influence was to come from the guidance of American pianist Charles Rosen and the coaching of Argentinian-born pianist Florencia Raitzin-Legrand, a Laureate of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, the Cziffra Foundation, and the Sophia-Antipolis Foundation. 

In 1999, Jeffrey Grice was made an “Officer of Arts and Letters” (Officier des Arts et des Lettres) by the French Government for services in the field of music.

Jeffrey Grice has recorded in Europe for the labels Calliope, Erato, Integral Classic and Blumlein, in Japan for Sony Classical, Cosmo Village and JVC, and in New Zealand for Waiteata, a discography featuring works by some forty different composers.

In 1996, “Golden Performance”, a recording for Cosmo Village of his solo recital (Brahms, Berg and Bartok) in Nagoya’s prestigious Shirakawa Hall was chosen “Best Recording” by Stereo Magazine, Japan and reviewed in the USA by John Sunier as “one of the most impressive piano recordings I have ever heard”. 

In 2004, Stereo Magazine again chose as “Best Recording” his Sony Classical album with flautist Shigenori Kudo of 20th century French flute/piano repertoire (Poulenc, Dutilleux, Gallois-Montbrun). 

In 2002, his Liszt CD (Integral Classic) was voted “Best Sound Recording” by the French magazine Repertoire. 

William Dart hailed his recording of the first seven Tone Clock Pieces of Jenny McLeod (The Waiteata Collection of New Zealand Music) as “incandescent”.

Grice has performed under conductors like Armin Jordan, Michiyoshi Inoue, Wolfgang Doerner, Donald Johanos, Victor Puhl, Amaury du Closel and with artists like Anne Sophie von Otter, Maria Bayo, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Anne Gastinel, Henri Demarquette, Alexander Markov, Sergei Leiferkus, Laurent Cabasso, Dana Ciocarlie, Jean-Marie Trotereau, Shigenori Kudo, Bertrand Walter, the Anton Quartet, the Trio Sibelius. 

He has given concerts in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, England, the USA, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Laos, Abu Dhabi, Malta, the Czech
Republic, Morocco, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Uganda, Rumania and Canada.

Grice’s career had a stage and movie sideline. After a first brief appearance in the 1979 5-part television serial Les Dames de la Côte by Nina Companeez, he then played (though as an actor) in the  1991 prize-winning French film Un Coeur en hiver (A Heart in Winter) by Claude Sautet, appearing alongside Emmanuelle Béart and Daniel Auteuil.

Through imaginative ways of juxtaposing different works from the repertoire, the Between Two  Worlds formula, the French Connections project, Grice works for a new kind of listening, encouraging many contemporary composers to write for him. 

He has premiered contemporary works by composers from New Zealand (Jenny McLeod, Nigel Keay, Lucien Johnson), Japan (Karen Tanaka) and France (David Chaillou, Kirill Zaborov). 


Pianist Jeffrey Grice

#### **Ali Harper, vocal & Harry Harrison, guitar**

Award winning singer Ali Harper and guitarist Harry Harrison reimagine the legendary partnership between Ella Fitzgerald and distinguished guitarist Joe Pass. From sultry standards to playful scat, this show pays tribute to their extraordinary chemistry as they perform classics from the Great American Songbook including Misty, I Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues, Stormy Weather and Ain’t Misbehavin’.

#### **Artist biographies**
Award-winning Entertainer Ali Harper is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School. With her career spanning 30+ years, Ali wears many hats as a singer, actor, producer, writer, MC, singing coach and yoga teacher. 

Highlights include The Court Theatre production of the one-woman show Songs for Nobodies where Ali was awarded ‘Best One Woman Show’ at New York’s United Solo Festival on 42nd Street in 2018 as well as Bombshells where Ali was awarded ‘Best Actress’ at New York’s United Solo Festival in 2014 and ‘Chapman Tripp Best Actress’ in Wellington in 2008. 

Ali has performed her cabaret show in A Down Under Diva! in New York’s prolific cabaret venues; Don’t Tell Mama and at The Metropolitan Room. 

Ali’s production company Ali-Cat Productions produces and tours her shows; A Natural Woman, The Look of Love, Songs for Nobodies, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, A Down-Under Diva!, Bombshells and Tell Me On A Sunday.
Ali’s seven albums are A Natural Woman, The Look of Love, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, Naughty and Nice, Songs for Everybody and Something So Right.

Originally from Glasgow Scotland, Harry Harrison has been performing and composing music in Christchurch New Zealand since 1985 and currently teaches on the Bachelor of Music Arts programme at Ara Institute of Canterbury.

Harry’s recording portfolio is comprised of a large body original music crossing jazz and roots genres, and a collection of audio-visual collaborations with iconic New Zealand artists.

A regular festival performer, Harry has worked throughout New Zealand and Australia performing and recording with national and international artists such as Hayley Westenra, Mary Coughlan, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Midge Marsden, Julia Deans and many more.

Harry’s stringed instruments incorporate all of the guitar family, electric, steel string acoustic, nylon string, lapsteel, bottle neck resonator and dobro. Adding to this are four and five string banjo, mandolin and ukelele.

Ella & Joe

### **Francesca Khalifa returns to WanakaBold**

The Wanaka Concert Society is excited that fabulous pianist Francesca Khalifa, who performed  in 2023 and received huge applause, is returning to Wanaka. 

Francesca who resides in New York has performed extensively in the United States and Europe. 

Highlights of recent seasons include concerts as soloist with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Egypt, the Orchestra Filarmonica Pozzoli in Milan, a solo appearance at Steinway Hall New York City, chamber music concerts with OSJ La Verdi Chamber Orchestra in New York City, and recitals in China and Cuba.
  
As soloist, Khalifa has collaborated with the Guido d’Arezzo Symphony Orchestra (Italy), the Oosterkerk Festival Chamber Orchestra (The Netherlands) and with the MET Opera Orchestra string quartet in Mozart piano concertos (New York City).

Khalifa is the founder and Artistic Director of the Beethoven Fest New York City. 

She received the City Artist Corps Grant 2021 and was the winner of the Ferrara International Piano Festival in 2014, the Schio International Piano Competition, Alink-Argerich Foundation, the Premio Loreto Lancia International Piano Competition and the N. van Westerhout International Piano Competition.
 
### **Programme**

D. Scarlatti - Selected Sonatas

L. van Beethoven - Sonata No. 31 Op.110
I. Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo
II. Allegro molto
III. Adagio, ma non troppo - Allegro, ma non troppo

_Intermission_

R. Schumann - Fantasy Op.17 in C major

Durchaus fantastisch und leidenschaftlich vorzutragen; 

Im Legenden-Ton 
MaBig. Durchaus energisch - Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten.

F. Liszt
Zwei Konzertetuden S.145: Waldesrauschen
Gnomenreigen

Saint-Saens/ Liszt
Danse macabre



Acclaimed Italian-Egyptian Pianist Francesca Khalifa returns to Wanaka

Pianist David Selfe and percussionist Jeremy Fitzsimons add live musical accompaniment to two silent Charlie Chaplin films selected from: The Pawn Shop (1916), A Dog’s Life (1918), and The Kid (1921).

In the place of synchronised recorded music, the musical duo use authentic original composition, improvisation, and an array of sound effects to capture the comedy, pathos, and heart of these classic films.

#### **Artist biographies**
Having travelled the world playing the piano and bringing people together with music, David Selfe is still sharing what he loves. 

He started playing at the age of seven and by twelve had his own band playing gigs and concerts for all ages. He gained a scholarship to The Purcell School in London and graduated to the Royal Academy of Music in London where he gained an L.R.A.M. & Prof. Cert.

Living as a keyboard nocturnalist in West End Shows, he was well known for keeping the show together for both cabaret and production. To learn more about David’s work, visit www.davidselfe.com.

Jeremy Fitzsimons is a freelance percussionist based in Thames. He was principal percussionist of Orchestra Wellington, plays regularly with the NZSO, is percussionist with the Pink Floyd Experience, and has been freelancing in Wellington since 1993. 

He has recorded CDs of marimba and percussion music by Gareth Farr and John Psathas, toured as marimbist with many groups for Chamber Music New Zealand, and was a founding member of Strike Percussion and Gareth Farr’s Drumdrag. Prominent projects include being soloist with Orchestra Wellington for the Psathas concerto View From Olympus in 2020, guest soloist at a marimba festival in Portugal, ensemble soloist with the APO, member of Double Shot marimba and percussion duo since 2015, and he performs in Silent Movies Live (old silent movies with original music with pianist David Selfe).



Silent Movies Live

### **Programme**
Tessa Romano, mezzo-soprano & Sanaz Rezai, piano

Clairieres dans le ciel (1913-1914)
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
• No. 6: Si tout ceci n’est qu’un pauvre rˆeve
• No. 7: Nous nous aimerons tant
• No. 8: Vous m’avez regard ́e avec toute votre ˆame

Tessa Petersen, violin & Sanaz Rezai, piano

Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13 (1875-1876) - Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)
• I. Allegro molto
• II. Andante
• III. Allegro vivo
• IV. Allegro quasi presto

 ̃Interval 

Tessa Petersen, violin & Heleen du Plessis, cello & Sanaz Rezai, piano

La Valse (1919-1920)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) 

Trio No. 1, Op. 32 in D Minor (1894)
Anton Arensky (1861-1906)
• I. Allegro moderato
• II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
• III. Elegia: Adagio
• IV. Finale: Allegro non troppo


Leith Ensemble

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Encourage people to come and enjoy our concerts by telling your friends, neighbours, people you see socially, and new arrivals to Wanaka about our concerts. Don't forget those who live on their own.

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