Upbeat Podcast Options

1:23 PM.New Zealand Opera's new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute opened on Saturday at the St James in Wellington. The cast is a mix of International and New Zealand singers, including young English… Read more Audio

1:05 PM.Betsy Erickson is ballet master for the San Francisco Ballet. She's been coming to New Zealand for 12 years teaching the art form to the next generation at the New Zealand School of Dance. She speaks… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Recently International classical stars Nicola Benedetti and Leonard Elschenbroich were in New Zealand to perform. In their downtime they spent time mentoring the next generation. Alison Eldredge from… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Mozart's The Magic Flute opens tomorrow at the St James in Wellington. New Zealand Opera has been able to attract some big names including UK based soprano Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson. She tells Eva what… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Gael Newton - Foundation Photography Curator Art Gallery of NSW and former Senior Curator of Photography National Gallery of Australia - is the opening speaker for Teaching A Butterfly to Swim… Read more Audio

1:35 PM.The SMP Ensemble is back, celebrating the music of John Elmsly, the current Creative New Zealand/Jack C. Richards Composer-in-Residence. The performance combines classical with electroacoustic… Read more Audio

1:07 PM.The Nelson School of Music is having a celebration that will run throughout the night this weekend. It includes a range of performances, including the debut of new work by composer Gareth Farr. He'll… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Bach Musica NZ's choristers, along Russian tenor Dmitry Rusakov and NZ mezzo Sarah Court, present Rachmaninov's Vespers. Sarah Court explains how the 15 movements are reflective, quiet and deeply… Read more Audio

1:25 PM.Mapura Studio in Auckland provides a creative outlet for those with disabilities. Programmes are offered for all ages and abilities, and include life drawing, cartooning and dance. Studio director… Read more Audio

1:05 PM.The Royal New Zealand Airforce Band is performing among the planes at the Airforce Museum of New Zealand in Wigram next week. Simon Brew and Alistair Isdale explain how the acoustics are altered… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Jennifer Shennan reviews The New Zealand Dance Company's three piece work Lumina, which all focus on light. It's currently touring the country, following on from a successful international season in… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand chief Roger Lloyd is stepping down from his role but there's new adventures to be had. David Squire, conductor of the New Zealand Youth Choir, joins Roger to talk about… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.Peter Mechen reviews US based Ensō String Quartet. The performance included works from Beethoven, Ravel, and a new piece by New Zealand composer Alex Taylor, A Coincidence of surfaces, which can be… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Outrageously fabulous Auckland-based crossover artist Luke Bird on making musical theatre and opera accessible to the younger generation; the importance of performing at Big Gay Out; and where he gets… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.The Auckland Youth Choir is celebrating New Zealand Music Month by performing works by composers who's names start with M - Marshall, Matthews and Mealor. The NZ premiere of each piece is overseen by… Read more Audio

1:40 PM.From death metal rock concerts to chamber music, orchestras to jazz bands, double bass player Alex Verster is so versatile he's won a 2016 Patricia Pratt Scholarship. After playing jazz bass for years… Read more Audio

1:10 PM.New Zealand artist Francis Upritchard and jeweller Karl Fritsch discuss their work together. The Germans have a word for it: Gesumptkunsthandwerk: the marriage of art, craft and design. Francis… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.The Magic Flute tells the mythical tale of Prince Tamino seeking to save his beloved Pamina from the clutches of her evil mother, Queen of Night. It is a story of love conquering all, adventure… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.To mark the Quattro Centennial of Shakespeare's death, he's coming alive at Wellington Library through out 2016. All of Shakespeare's plays will have their moment as the Lord Lackbeards perform… Read more Audio

1:31 PM."At 75, British playwright Caryl Churchill may be at the top of her game" … so began a recent review in The Economist of Churchill's 2012 play Love and Information which is being produced in a Double… Read more Audio

1:05 PM.James Cundall is the man behind Lunchbox Productions, a company that brings big blockbuster stage productions like Singin' in the Rain and Priscilla Queen of the Desert to New Zealand with casts from… Read more Audio

1:45 PM.Lili Kraus was a famed Hungarian-born pianist who galvanised our post-war arts scene; she played everywhere and organised new pianos for our halls. Cushla Parekowhai talks about the love affair New… Read more Audio

1:30 PM.The ensemble that derived their name from the Japanese Zen painting of the circle has returned to New Zealand shores. Enso quartet's nationwide tour includes pieces from Ginastera, Hayden, Beethoven… Read more Audio