|
Auckland Writers Festival
Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki is the largest annual literary festival in Aotearoa New Zealand since 1999. It has about 200 public events each year featuring local and international writers as guests. History and staff The inaugural festival was in May 1999. Founding trustees were writers Stephanie Johnson and the late Peter Wells (1950–2019). Since 2008 the festival has been a registered charitable trust under the name Auckland Writers & Readers Festival Charitable Trust. The trusts purpose is that it celebrates the work of writers, promotes literacy, a positive public profile for New Zealand writers, ideas and intellectual debate, literature which supports and reflects the partnership ideal of the Treaty of Waitangi, and encourages international understanding. By 2018 it was being described as the 'largest literary showcase in New Zealand'. Anne O'Brien joined the festival in 2011 as director. In 2012 there were four core members and the General Manager wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region—the area governed by Auckland Council—which includes outlying rural areas and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, and which has a total population of . While European New Zealanders, Europeans continue to make up the plurality of Auckland's population, the city became multicultural and cosmopolitan in the late-20th century, with Asians accounting for 31% of the city's population in 2018. Auckland has the fourth largest foreign-born population in the world, with 39% of its residents born overseas. With its large population of Pasifika New Zealanders, the city is also home to the biggest ethnic Polynesian population in the world. The Māori-language name for Auckland is ', meaning "Tāmak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Māori Language
Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and Tahitian, it gained recognition as one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987. The number of speakers of the language has declined sharply since 1945, but a Māori-language revitalisation effort has slowed the decline. The 2018 New Zealand census reported that about 186,000 people, or 4.0% of the New Zealand population, could hold a conversation in Māori about everyday things. , 55% of Māori adults reported some knowledge of the language; of these, 64% use Māori at home and around 50,000 people can speak the language "very well" or "well". The Māori language did not have an indigenous writing system. Missionaries arriving from about 1814, such as Thomas Kendall, learned to speak Māori, and introduced the Latin alphabet. In 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth Young (New Zealand Composer)
Kenneth Young (born 11 November 1955, Invercargill, New Zealand) is a composer, conductor, radio presenter and lecturer in composition, conducting and orchestration at the New Zealand School of Music, Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington. As a composer, Young has had works commissioned by New Zealand and Australian orchestras and arts organisations including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra ''New Zealand International Arts Festival'' and ''Chamber Music New Zealand''. He works as a freelance composer and is fully represented by ''SOUNZ: The Centre for New Zealand Music''. In 1976, Young became the principal tuba for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and first conducted the orchestra in 1985 becoming ''Conductor in Residence'' in 1993. In 2001, he resigned from the orchestra to become a full-time conductor, composer and recording artist for orchestras in New Zealand and Australia, as well as e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) is a symphony orchestra based in Auckland, New Zealand. Its principal concert venue is the Auckland Town Hall. The APO is the accompanying ensemble for performances by NZ Opera and the Royal New Zealand Ballet in Auckland. The APO's patrons are Dame Catherine Tizard, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Dame Rosanne Meo. History In 1980, 19 musicians of the collapsed Symphonia of Auckland founded a new cooperatively run orchestra under the legal entity of the Auckland Philharmonia Society Inc. This was made possible by a local business man Olly Newland, who, at some financial risk to himself, held what assets remained of the Symphonia, and organised several public rallies to garner support. He continued to serve on the Board of Management for some years afterwards. From 1980 to 2005, the Auckland Philharmonia Society focused on artistic management of the orchestra, and delegated financial responsibility to a Board of Advisors and Management. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akala (rapper)
Kingslee James McLean Daley (born 1 December 1983), better known by his stage name Akala, is a British rapper, journalist, author, activist and poet from Kentish Town, London. In 2006, he was voted the Best Hip Hop Act at the MOBO Awards and has been included on the annual '' Powerlist'' of the 100 most influential Black British people in the UK, most recently making the 2021 edition. Early life and education Daley was born in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1983 to a Scottish mother and Jamaican father who separated before he was born, and grew up with his mother in Kentish Town, north London. He has recalled the day he realised that his mother was white, and was embarrassed by her whiteness. His mother had educated him about black history and introduced him to radical black thinkers, yet there would always remain a racial dimension to those relationships. Daley's older sister is rapper Ms. Dynamite. His stepfather was a stage manager at the Hackney Empire theatre, and he often vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugenia Cheng
Eugenia Loh-Gene Cheng is a British mathematician and concert pianist. Her mathematical interests include higher category theory, and as a pianist she specialises in lieder and art song. She is also passionate about explaining mathematics to non-mathematicians to rid the world of math phobia, often using entertaining analogies with food and baking. Cheng is a scientist-in-residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Early life and education Cheng was born in Hampshire, England. She moved to Sussex at the age of one. Her family is originally from Hong Kong. Her interest in mathematics stemmed from a young age thanks largely to her mother who made mathematics a part of life. Cheng attended Roedean School. She studied the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge, where she was a student of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. Her postgraduate research was supervised by Martin Hyland. Career and research As of 2020, Cheng is a scientist-in-residence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Straitjacket Fits
Straitjacket Fits formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986 and were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the Dunedin sound. Biography Like many of their Flying Nun stable-mates, the band hailed from the southern city of Dunedin. They formed from the ashes of The DoubleHappys, a band comprising Shayne Carter, Wayne Elsey and John Collie. The tragic accidental death of Elsey saw Carter and Collie join forces with David Wood (ex- Working With Walt) in 1986 to form Straitjacket Fits. Andrew Brough (from The Orange) signed on the following year, adding a foil in the form of a pop sensibility to Carter's more raucous songwriting. From their inception, the sound of the band was marked by the seemingly incongruous but effective pairing of Carter's rough abrasive voice and strident guitar and Andrew Brough's saccharine-sweet vocals and pop hooks. Pre-1990: ''Life in One Chord'' and ''Hail'' 1987 marked the release of the band's first EP. ''Life in One Chord'' spent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shayne Carter
Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ''New Zealand Herald'' Legacy Award (with Straitjacket Fits at the 2008 New Zealand Music Awards), and New Zealand Music Awards for Best Group and Best Rock Album (with Dimmer, 2004). New Zealand music critic Nick Bollinger told ''North & South'' magazine in 2019: "To me, Shayne Carter really stands head and shoulders above pretty much the whole of the Dunedin scene. I mean, there were some other brilliant musicians, don’t get me wrong. But that was the era when shoe-gazing was at its peak – they wore black jerseys, stared at their shoes, and strummed their meaningful, heartfelt songs. But Shayne was different. Shayne was a rock star, and he knew it. He was actually aware of his charisma and what it meant to be a performer." Carte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004, the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released twelve studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5. Wilco's music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles, including Bill Fay, The Beatles and Television, and has in turn influenced music by a number of modern alternative rock acts. The band continued in the alternative country style of Uncle Tupelo on its debut album '' A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jeff Tweedy
Jeffrey Scot Tweedy (born August 25, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, started his music career in high school in his band The Plebes with Jay Farrar, which subsequently transitioned into the alternative country band Uncle Tupelo. After Uncle Tupelo broke up, Tweedy formed Wilco which found critical and commercial success, most notably with ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' and '' A Ghost Is Born'', the latter of which received a Grammy for Best Alternative Album in 2005. Across his career Tweedy has released 20 studio albums, including four with Uncle Tupelo, twelve with Wilco, one with his son Spencer, a solo acoustic album, three solo studio albums, along with numerous collaborations with other musicians, most notably '' Mermaid Avenue'' with Billy Bragg. Early life Tweedy was born in Belleville, Illinois, on August 25, 1967, the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sisonke Msimang
Sisonke Msimang is a South African writer, activist and political analyst based in Perth, Western Australia, whose focus is on race, gender, and politics. She is known for her memoir ''Always Another Country: A memoir of exile and home'' (2017) and ''The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela'' (2018), a biography of Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Early life and education Msimang was born in Zambia, where her South African freedom fighter father, Mavuso Msimang, Mavuso ("Baba"), had gone into exile, along with many other members of the then banned organisation the African National Congress. Her mother, Ntombi, was a Swazi accountant, and Sisonke grew up within the community in exile, along with sisters Mandla and Zeng. Msimang grew up around South African freedom fighters such as her father and great-uncle. Her father was a leading member of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), in the 1960s, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew Sean Greer
Andrew Sean Greer (born November 1970) is an American novelist and short story writer. Greer received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel ''Less''. He is the author of ''The Story of a Marriage'', which ''The New York Times'' has called an “inspired, lyrical novel,” and ''The Confessions of Max Tivoli'', which was named one of the best books of 2004 by the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and received a California Book Award. Biography Andrew Sean Greer was born in November 1970, in Washington, D.C., the child of two scientists. He grew up in Rockville, Maryland. He is an identical twin. He graduated from Georgetown Day School, and Brown University, where he studied with Robert Coover and Edmund White, and served as commencement speaker. He lives part-time in Italy. He is the author of six works of fiction. Greer taught at Freie Universität Berlin and the Iowa Writers Workshop. He was a finalist for the Premio von Rezzori for a work translated into Italian, as we ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_p225_AUCKLAND%2C_NEW_ZEALAND.jpg "Click for more on -> Auckland")
