Wellington based Singer Lisa Tomlins and her band The Presidents of Funk are planning to recreate funk grooves from James Brown’s extensive back catalogue at next week’s Coastella Festival.  Lisa and her band plan to finish the one day Kapiti Coast festival on a high with the songs by the legendary master of funk.

New Zealand Opera’s The Mikado has stirred up debate about cultural appropriation since it opened this week in Auckland. For reviewer Frances Moore,the production was a game of two halves - and not without controversy.

How do you tell a story that’s based in the dark through light? That’s exactly what lighting expert Duncan Milne has been tasked to do for acclaimed New Zealand playwright Stephen Sinclair’s new piece Remain in Light. It explores the spiritual qualities of light in a post-apocalyptic world where a small group of survivors search for food, warmth and light.

With names like Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo it’s hard to take New Zealand Opera’s The Mikado seriously. But while they are having fun, leading lovers Amelia Berry – as Yum-Yum - and Jonathan Abernethy – as her suitor Nanki-Poo - take their roles very seriously on stage. The Gilbert and Sullivan opera, directed by Stuart Maunder, opened this week to favourable reviews.

Students at the Adam Summer School have been soaking up the knowledge of some of the best musicians in the country, including the New Zealand String Quartet’s Monique Lapins. She’s been mentoring some of the 27 students - aged between 15 and 25 - including Nathan Pinkney, ready for their Finale Concerts this Sunday.

Singer-songwriter Amiria Grenell and professional actor & musician Amy Grace are musical sisters. The duo founded The Swan Sisters after meeting at NASDA and now tour extensively, this year performing at Womad Taranaki in March.

The French Film Festival is back with a special emphasis on the story telling through the lens of French female filmmakers. Festival director Dorothee Basel gives us her picks from the Women to the Fore section of the festival, which includes Standing Tall, a story of one women’s interaction with the juvenile court, and From the Land of the Moon featuring Marion Cotillard.

Dunedin Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 season is full of highlights. This year sees the return of principal guest conductor Simon Over to lead performances of Sibelius, Dvorak, and Brahms with guest soloists cellist Li-Wei Qin and violinist  Ilya Gringolts. Later in the year conductor Richard Davis and flutist Luca Manghi take the audience to Italy, and in November the “Dunedin Sound” will be captured as part of the Tally Ho! Concert.

Who at 13 knew what they wanted to do? By that age German pianist Frank Dupree was wowing audiences with his outstanding performances and had taken an interest in conducting. The former Wunderkind is in the country to wow audiences alongside the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Giordano Bellincampi for the Myths and Legends concert featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Rimmer and Strauss.

The Adam Chamber Music Festival has brought interesting and varied performers and pieces to Nelson, but did it live up to the hype? Elizabeth Kerr reviews a number of performances, including international guests Denes Varjon, James Campbell and Ian Rosenbaum.

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