Upbeat Podcast Options

1:00 PM.Sarah Hoskyns and Julian Raphael play the mbira - an ancient instrument from Zimbabwe. Traditionally is an important part of community, encouraging well being and connection between the native people… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.A cappella is making resurgence, especially in the younger generation since the Pitch Perfect films. Deke Sharon is considered to be the "father" of modern a cappella, and has performed with the likes… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.With the New Zealand International Film Festival just around the corner, is it ok to put my feet on the seat in front of me? Can I leave if I don't like a film? And what about eating in the theatre… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Composer Johannes Contag has written a new score for the 1923 silent film Variety to be played live during the New Zealand International Film Festival in Wellington on 7th August. Contag says the tale… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.The Absurdity of Humanity is the latest work from The New Zealand Dance Company. The double bill show brings together works from Ross McCormack and Lina Limosani, both with an absurdist view on the… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Dominic Groom reviews a rare performance of Messiaen's last major orchestral work Illuminations of the Beyond. This was a landmark performance for several reasons: the debut here of British maestro… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Martin Rummel and Eric Lamb from ensemble paladino discuss their "(re)invention" series where they take music written for a particular set of instruments and re invent it in another guise. The… Read more Video, Audio

1:44 PM.The Christchurch Youth Choir is warming up the city with a cozy night of choral delights with their mid-winter Christmas concert Adeste Fideles. Music Director Grant Bartley and choir member Caitlin… Read more Audio

1:27 PM.Playing one instrument can be daunting enough, but for New Zealand Symphony Orchestra percussionist Lenny Sakofsky, he'll be playing 12 - including the Thai nipple gong and a xylorimba. He's just one… Read more Audio

1:04 PM.Orchestra Wellington continues its final masterpieces series later this month concentrating on music by Richard Strauss. Music Director Marc Taddei discusses Capriccio as well as the other works that… Read more Audio

1:44 PM.Aucklanders are in for a treat over the next few months as they have an opportunity to pick and mix performance arts experiences. The Pick and Mix festival brings together a number of acts, from… Read more Audio

1:26 PM.How many of us are actually tone deaf? What is it? And can it be cured? Dr Nicola Swain from The University of Otago has just arrived back in the country after presenting some interesting findings in… Read more Audio

1:01 PM.The Melbourne Youth Orchestra is back to perform with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. The groups will present Mahler's First Symphony, The Titan. Also on the bill is a trans-Tasman clarinet trio… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Zac Johns recently musically directed and conducted the latest season of Evita in Auckland and has assisted in Mamma Mia!, Godspell, Bugsy Malone and the New Zealand premiere of Dogfight and In The… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.The New Zealand School of Dance is offering a free dance course for young Maori and Pacific Island teenaged boys. It draws on combining, contemporary dance, street dance and Kapa Haka and gives the… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.The New Zealand Youth Choir has won four categories and the Grand Prix prize at the International Festival of Academic Choirs in the Czech Republic. Music Director David Squire is thrilled with the… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Kiwi expat Holly Mathieson speaks to David Morriss about her varied career - from resident conducing in Scotland, to starting Horizont Musik-Kollektiv in Berlin, and joining the performance faculty at… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.In this week's episode Zoe George explores the intimate setting of house concerts. From opera among the trees, to plays in a lounge room, what is the "done" thing at one of these? Should I take my… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Pianist Albert Tiu, described as "an artist of uncommon abilities" is in New Zealand to judge the country's leading piano competitions. He's just spent time in Kerikeri and will be in Auckland this… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Self-confessed couch surfer French writer Nicolas Fargues has spent the last six months getting inspiration from our shores. The Randell Cottage resident explains how New Zealand is very different… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Beneath the Sarjeant Gallery lay thousands of hidden treasures, from archives, to toys and painting. Jennifer Taylor Moore from the Whanganui based gallery takes us on a treasure hunt to discover… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Auckland choir Viva Voce presents British composer Joby Talbot's stunning choral depiction of the great Camino de Santiago in Spain. Path of Miracles has been described as "an evocative odyssey", "a… Read more Video, Audio

1:45 PM.Auckland Symphony Orchestra presents Last Night of the Proms to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday. Conductor Peter Thomas has drawn together 150 performers including mezzo soprano Kayla Collingwood… Read more Audio

1:30 PM.What value does contemporary dance have in the increasingly troubled modern world and why do audiences actively seek out Art when life gets tough? Swedish dance educator Efva Lilja joins Carol Brown… Read more Audio

1:15 PM.The Kerikeri International Piano Competition is on this week with a three person judging panel including German pianist Jan Jiracek von Arnim. This thoroughly likeable Professor who runs his own… Read more Audio