Upbeat Podcast Options

1:00 PM.New Zealand artist Nigel Brown discusses his exhibition I AM / WE ARE at MTG Hawkes Bay. The exhibition is a major retrospective spanning 35 years of the painter's career so far, and includes… Read more Audio

1:45 PM.Translating poems into music can be tough gig, but a group of musicians and poets are doing just that for the Dunedin Fringe Festival. Soprano Sophie Morris and composer Anthony Ritchie are part of… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Actor, playwright and self-confessed water ballerina Pip Hall is part of the Spotlight on Playwrights season happening at Circa during the 2016 New Zealand Festival Writers Week. She's joining an… Read more Audio

1:00 PM.After traveling the globe and presenting New Zealand music to the world, Kirsten Mason returned home to take up a role with Chamber Music New Zealand. Recently she was appointed as the new General… Read more Audio

1:45 PM.Nolwenn is the coordinator of Digital Art Live, an interactive art event on as part of Auckland Arts Festival's White Night event. She talks about her specific area of expertise, the relationship… Read more Audio

1:20 PM.Sébastien Donnadieu, the director of the Alliance Française French Film Festival discusses the annual event which is on around the country at the moment. Audio

1:00 PM.Serenity Thurlow, the Principal Violist for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, talks about the new work written for her by Chris Cree Brown that she premieres this weekend at the orchestra's… Read more Audio

1:43 PM.Melbourne arts correspondent previews the Australian premiere of the New Zealand play The Underarm by David Geary and Justin Gregory. Vincent O'Donnell goes to a rehearsal and talk to cast members… Read more Audio

1:34 PM.Jennifer Shennan reviews The Kiss Inside at New Zealand Festival. This is the final major work by choreographer Douglas Wright and was first produced at Auckland Arts Festival 2015. Audio

1:19 PM.Kirstin Eade was one of the three person judging panel for the 49th National Concerto Competition 2016. Kirstin is the Associate Principal Flutist for the NZSO and has been involved in the… Read more Audio

1:09 PM.Cellist Sam Lucas has won the National Concerto Competition in Christchurch on Saturday, playing Ernest Bloch's Schelomo for cello and orchestra. The University of Waikato student takes away the ten… Read more Audio

1:42 PM.Dione Joseph reviews the new dance theatre work Marama which premiered last night at Auckland Arts Festival. Marama is produced by The Conch under the leadership of Nina Nawalowalo and is motivated by… Read more Audio

1:28 PM.Brass Poppies the chamber opera by Ross Harris and Vincent O'Sullivan had its premiere at New Zealand Festival last night. Peter Mechen reviews the new work which also plays at Auckland Arts Festival… Read more Audio

1:01 PM.The National Concerto Competition Final is being held tomorrow in Christchurch. Lecturer in Cello from Otago University, Heleen du Plessis is one of the three adjudicators. The three finalists are… Read more Audio

1:34 PM.New Zealand born orchestral manager Richard Wigley has just taken over as the new Managing Director of Ulster Orchestra in Belfast. He comes to Northern Ireland after a decade managing the BBC… Read more Audio

1:17 PM.Premiering last night at New Zealand Festival was John Psathas' epic work No Man's Land, a symphony with pictures featuring musicians from the many countries who fought in the First World War. Rachel… Read more Audio

1:01 PM.Dunedin Fringe opened last night with a show case event featuring 28 acts in two hours, offering a taster of what is to come over the next 11 days. Festival director Josh Thomas explains how he… Read more Audio

1:45 PM.The Tempest and Titus are gracing the stage at the Pop-Up Globe in Auckland. Actor and singer Cole Jenkins is the leading woman. He's swapping traditional roles as he steps into the shoes of the… Read more Audio

1:30 PM.Our regular visual arts contributor brings us the latest news on why the Melbourne Arts Fair has been cancelled, funding wars for Hundertwasser Art Centre, Gormley sculptures and the new head of Te… Read more Audio

1:45 PM.'Sila: The Breath of the World' is an outdoor work by American composer John Luther Adams, which is being staged in Wellington's Civic Square as part of the New Zealand Festival. Adams is a Pullizer… Read more Audio

1:30 PM.In a world where guys call their enemies "mate" and their friends by a four letter word, navigating social convention in Perth was a baptism of fire for German actress Russya Conno. Despite… Read more Audio

1:24 PM.Jennifer reviews the Royal New Zealand Ballet's "Speed of Light" season featuring works by Adonis Foniadakis, William Forsythe and Alexander Ekman. Audio

1:02 PM.Dominic Groom reviews the New Zealand Festival performances by the Miyata-Yoshimura-Suzuki Trio from Japan and the Concerto Italiano's performance of Monteverdi's Vespers 1610. Audio