The loss of venues with suitable acoustics and a church organ in Christchurch led three Canterbury musical academics to perform in a Queenstown church for the first time.
Dr Jonathan Le Cocq, on lute and baroque guitar, with Jeremy Woodside, on organ and piano, and soprano Lois Johnston will present Ancient and Modern in St Peter's Anglican Church on Wednesday, November 23, at 7.30pm.
The trio said the concert takes listeners on a journey through renaissance England, France and Italy before arriving in 21st-century New Zealand, with a new song cycle composed this year by Mr Woodside for Miss Johnston.
Summer Is Icumen In won Mr Woodside a coveted Lilburn Trust prize after its premiere in the University of Canterbury in September.
He is the Sir Gil Simpson Assistant Organist in Christchurch Cathedral. Mr Woodside said he returned to the earthquake-shattered cathedral to retrieve the music.
"It's in a very bad state, I'm not sure what's going to happen to it. There's not serious damage to the organ, it's fine, but the surroundings are."
He completed his honours year and majored in composition at the University of Canterbury. The trio's performance was an opportunity for potential students in the Wakatipu to hear the ancient music studied in the institution, and ask the performers questions, he said.
The trio plays at St Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, the following day, then returns to St Michael and All Angels' Church, Christchurch, on December 4.
Miss Johnston said the acoustics of each venue would vary and the musicians would not know which pieces would be best suited to the venue until they rehearsed there.
"At the heart of each concert will be Dowland lute songs, some lovely Monteverdi, some solo lute and organ works and songs by Debussy, Purcell, Peter Warlock and Jeremy Woodside's song cycle," she said.
"The lute and voice are very intimate and really draw the crowd in, but as soon as you add the organ it's feistier and louder."
• Tickets for Ancient and Modern cost $20 for adults and $10 for students at the church door.
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