Win tickets to the NZSO Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky concert

Music lovers, take note!

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s 2018 season concludes with a concert featuring works by Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky at Horncastle Arena on Saturday 17 November.  The pieces being performed will be:

Hindemith – Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber
Prokofiev – Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber grew out of a request from choreographer and dancer Léonide Massine in 1940 for music for a ballet. While the project was shelved, the completed piece has since been adapted for ballet productions and is equally powerful as a standalone work.

Prokofiev’s rich and multi-layered Violin Concerto No. 2 was his last work written in Europe before his return to the Soviet Union. It makes full use of the instrument, with intoxicating contrasts in tone, colour, melody, and rhythm and is the perfect fit for the virtuosic skills of NZSO Concertmaster Vesa-Matti Leppänen.

Inspired by his homeland, Tchaikovsky’s bold Fifth Symphony came 10 years after his Fourth and divided audiences at its premiere. It is bursting with unforgettable melodies and lush orchestration, making it one of the great works of the Romantic tradition. Under the baton of Maestro de Waart, the NZSO will perform it in all its glory.

We have 2 double passes to give away to library members. All you need to do is tell us which floor of Tūranga, the new central library, holds the music collection and fill out your details in the competition entry form. Entries close at 5pm on Sunday, 11 November and winners will be announced on our competitions page on  Monday 12 November.

• Stream classical music online with Classical Music Library
• About NZSO’s Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky concert
• Buy tickets to Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky

Win tickets to the NZSO National Youth Orchestra concert – 2 February

The NZSO National Youth Orchestra are performing next month at the Isaac Theatre Royal as part of their summer concerts series. The orchestra is made up of mostly university students and the standard of musicianship is high. Teenage prodigy Matthias Balzat (who has been playing cello since the age of three) will perform under the baton of conductor Guy Noble.

The pieces performed will be:

• Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
• Elgar: Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
• Dvořák: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88

We have 2 double passes to give away to library members. All you need to do is tell us your favourite New Zealand songwriter or composer and complete the competition entry form. Entries close at 5pm on Thursday, 25 January and winners will be announced on Friday 26 January.

• About NZSO’s National Youth Orchestra concert
• Buy tickets to the National Youth Orchestra concert
• Music eResources (online streaming, classical music libraries and more)

Bathing beauties at Corsair Bay about 1920: Christchurch Photo Hunt 2017

Photo Hunt 2017: Plains, Port Hills & Peninsula – Finding our way

This year the theme for Photo Hunt is Plains, Port Hills & Peninsula – Finding our way. However, the photos you submit are not limited to this theme. We invite you to share any of your photos and help grow the city’s photographic archive. All entries must be received by 31 October.

Christchurch City Libraries has produced a set of four postcards promoting the competition which are available from your local library. Each week during October we’ll be featuring one of the postcard images on our blog.

Bathing beauties at Corsair Bay about 1920. Kete Christchurch. PH13-127. Entry in the 2013 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand License.

Bathing beauties at Corsair Bay about 1920. Neck to knee bathing costumes and what looks like a shower cap for a bathing cap. Mother and daughter Alice and Venis with two cousins.

Entry in the 2013 Christchurch City Libraries Photo Hunt.

About Kete Christchurch

Kete Christchurch is a collection of photographs and stories about Christchurch and Canterbury, past and present. Anyone can join and contribute.

• Visit Kete Christchurch
• View more Picturing Canterbury posts

Win tickets to NZSO concert Rachmaninov with Joyce Yang – Tues 31 October

Rachmaninov with Joyce Yang is a New Zealand Symphony Orchestra concert at the Horncastle Arena on Tuesday 31 October. Pianist Joyce Yang will perform Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor. This concerto is notable for its difficulty and:

demands an extraordinary technical virtuosity and an ability to realise the poetry at the heart of this lush and layered score.

Conducted by Edo de Waart, Joyce is In her debut NZSO performance, she will also play Rachmaninov’s Vocalise and Symphonic Dances.

Thanks to the NZSO we have two double passes to give away to library members!

Use this form to enter our NZSO competition and be in to win a double pass to the Rachmaninov concert. Entries close 5pm on Monday 23 October and winners will be drawn and announced on Tuesday 24 October.

 

• About NZSO’s Rachmaninov with Joyce Yang concert
• Buy tickets to Rachmaninov with Joyce Yang
• Find out more about Joyce Yang
• Visit Joyce Yang’s website

Win tickets to NZSO Pianomania with Freddy Kempf concert – Weds 20 September

Coming soon to Christchurch is the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra ‘Pianomania’ with Freddy Kempf at the Airforce Museum, Wednesday 20 September at 7pm

Freddy plays piano and conducts at the same time. His previous appearance with the NZSO provoked standing ovations. This concert showcases piano favourites, with beautiful and powerful music that represents the history of the piano over the last 300 years.

The Pianomania programme is full of popular classics:

Handel Concerto for Keyboard, op. 4. No. 1 in G minor
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, in C major (2nd mvt)
Chopin Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor (3rd mvt)
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor (2nd mvt)
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

Thanks to the NZSO we have two double passes to give away to library members! Enter now – just tell us your favourite piece of piano music.

• About NZSO’s Pianomania with Freddy Kempf concert
• Buy tickets to Pianomania
• Check out Freddy Kempf’s website

Win tickets to Captain Underpants: the First Epic Movie – plus an activity pack

Hey kids! Win a prize to celebrate the release of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie on 28 September.

The author Dav Pilkey is passionate about promoting reading and writing and we have a Captain Underpants prize pack to give away to a lucky library member, including:

• 2 movie passes to see ‘Captain Underpants: the First Epic Movie’ at any Christchurch Hoyts cinema, and a Captain Underpants activity book pack.  Thanks to Hoyts Northlands for supplying the movie passes!
• All you need to is make up your own creative title for a pretend Captain Underpants book and complete the entry form.
• This competition is open to ages 5 to 18.

Want some book title inspiration?

• Borrow the Captain Underpants book series
• Find all the Dav Pilkey books in our collection
• Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Captain Underpants!
• Farty pants
• Dog Man Unleashed at the Library

Terms and Conditions

1. Competition is open until 5pm Monday 18 September 2017.
2. All winners will be announced on the Christchurch City Libraries Facebook page, and website.
3. Entries must have all correct contact details completed on the entry form.
4. Maximum one entry per child.
5. We will notify winners by telephone and/or email. Please ensure membership contact details are up-to-date.
6. Employees of Christchurch City Council are not eligible to enter the prize draw. Their immediate families are allowed to enter.
7. If you are a winner, you consent to your name, photograph, entry and/or interview being used for reasonable publicity purposes by Christchurch City Libraries.
8. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
9. Prize are as stated and are not transferable.

Win tickets to the NZSO Schumann & Barber concert

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra are in town again this month with a concert featuring works by Brahms, Schumann and Barber on 21 June at the Isaac Theatre Royal.

The pieces performed will be:

• Brahms Tragic Overture
• Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor
• Barber Adagio for Strings
• Barber Symphony No. 1

We have 2 double passes to give away to library members. All you need to do is tell us the name of Christchurch City Libraries’ Quarterly magazine and complete the competition entry form. Entries close at 5pm on Monday, 12 June and winners will be announced on Tuesday 13 June.

• About NZSO’s Schumann & Barber concert
• Buy tickets to Schumann & Barber

What’s your favourite place to read? Tell us, and win three books from HarperCollins New Zealand

Curled up in a big cosy armchair? On the bus while you head off across town? Where’s your all-time fave spot to read? Let us know, and you are in to win three awesome books kindly supplied by HarperCollins New Zealand:

Books from HarperCollins New Zealand

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in 15 suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (read Alina’s review)

Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions – compelling, direct, wryly funny, and perceptive – for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman.

Surviving 7.8: New Zealanders respond to the earthquakes of November 2016 by Phil Pennington

The story of New Zealand’s response to our second most powerful earthquake on record. Described by Geonet as one of the most complex earthquakes ever observed, Radio New Zealand’s Vicky McKay was first to report on its violence, broadcasting live in the Wellington studio when 7.8 arrived by stealth at 12.02am.

Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies by Jackie French

A tale of espionage, love and passionate heroism. Inspired by true events, this is the story of how society’s ‘lovely ladies’ won a war.

To enter the competition, email your contact details and a description of your favourite place to read to competition@ccc.govt.nz with the subject line “Favourite place to read competition” by 5pm on Friday 19 May. (Sorry, staff of Christchurch City Libraries and Christchurch City Council are not eligible to enter). Good luck!

Find the books in our collection

• Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in 15 suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (read Alina’s review)
• Surviving 7.8:  New Zealanders respond to the earthquakes of November 2016 by Phil Pennington
• Miss Lily’s Lovely Ladies by Jackie French

NZSO Mozart & Beethoven concert winners

Recently we ran a competition to win a double pass to the NZSO’s Mozart & Beethoven concert.

All you had to do to enter was name one of our Music eResources. We had a healthy number of entries but there were only 2 winners, namely:

• C Dodd
• W Harvie

Disappointed that you didn’t win?

You can listen to the pieces featured in next week’s concert (John Adams Shaker loops, Mozart’s Clarinet concerto in A major, and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 6 in F major, Pastorale) from the comfort of home (or the bus, or wherever) via Classical Music Library.

The HELL Pizza Reading Challenge

The New Zealand Book Awards Trust have teamed up again with HELL Pizza to encourage school-age children to read more. Their reading programme is now in its fourth year, and it runs through schools and libraries nationwide. Christchurch City Libraries is again offering this reading challenge reward system.

What is the HELL Reading Challenge?

The HELL Pizza Reading Challenge rewards New Zealand children for reading books in an incentivised reading programme that’s simple: Read for Pizza!

Children complete a ‘pizza wheel’ by reading seven books, and then go to any HELL Pizza store and redeem it for a free 333 HELL Pizza… It’s that easy! Every child/student must read 7 books to fill up their wheel to be able to receive their free pizza.

There is no limit on the number of wheels a child can fill up between March and December, provided they are stamped and authenticated by a librarian.

Pop into your local library to pick up a reading wheel. Get a slice of reading done and start getting your pizza wheel clicked. Then top off your reading with a pizza!

Rules

• The HELL Reading Challenge is open to students in Years 1-8.
• Each wheel is good for one 333 kids’ pizza from any HELL store nationwide.
• Each wheel must be clicked off and signed by library staff from your library and stamped with our official library stamp. Each pizza wheel features detailed rules and regulations, as well as a serial number that will be traced back to your library.
• Pizza must be picked up in-store only IN PERSON. One pizza per visit per child.
• Wheels are non-transferable for money.
• Come into any HELL store to redeem your voucher any time before Sunday 3 December 2017. The child/student must redeem their free pizza in person and before the expiry date.
• HELL Stores have the right to refuse this offer in cases of suspected fraud, or when presented with unsigned and unstamped wheels.

Find out more about the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

Explore our kid’s page for some great reading ideas.

About the New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults

The New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults are a unique celebration of the contribution New Zealand’s children’s authors and illustrators make to building national identity and cultural heritage.

Awards in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are made in six categories: Young Adult Fiction, Junior Fiction (the Esther Glen Award), Non-Fiction (the Elsie Locke Award), Picture Book, Illustration (the Russell Clark Award) and Te Kura Pounamu Award (for books entirely written in te reo Māori).

Five finalists are selected for each category, and from these a category winner is selected. All awards carry prize money of $7,500. In addition, the judges may decide to award a best first book prize of $2,000 to a previously unpublished author or illustrator. The overall prize, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award, carries a prize of $7,500. The awards are judged by a panel of five. Te Kura Pounamu is judged by a separate panel of judges. A shortlist is announced in June each year, and the awards event is held in August of the same year.

At the same time, a major nationwide Reading Challenge, sponsored by HELL Pizza, encourages children to read.