Not a bad place for a summer music festival. Photo: supplied
Midsummer is the perfect time to head to a seaside town for a break.
But early next month, folk in Akaroa will find some of the visitors to the Banks Peninsula centre won't be packing surf boards and beach towels, but cello and violin cases.
The Akaroa Music Festival will run from 3-11 January, attracting musicians not just from Canterbury, but across the Tasman.
One of those will be cellist and the festival's artistic director, Edith Salzmann.
Cellist Edith Salzmann, Artistic Director of the Akaroa Music Festival. Photo: Supplied
Salzmann, who divides her time between Christchurch and the South Australian city of Adelaide, spoke to RNZ Concert ahead of the gathering.
Teddy Tahu Rhodes Photo: Supplied
Originally from Germany, Salzmann says one of the aims of the Akaroa Music Festival is to recreate the European retreats aimed at students over the summer.
They don't want to stay in the big city, but they might go to a summer festival in the mountains or by the sea.
In Akaroa, the young musicians get to learn from established artists in masterclasses, while the public gets to enjoy both.
Salzmann says she's one of many musicians who share time between Christchurch and Adelaide, cities which share a lot in common including a similar classical music scene.
Another trans-Tasman musician coming from Adelaide for the festival is the Kiwi-born bass-baritone, Teddy Tahu Rhodes.
Also taking part are pianist Michael Endres, BBC producer Simon Lord, violinist Elizabeth Layton, violist Stephen King and Anna Goldsworthy, the new Director of the Australian National Academy of Music.
