Packed playlist for Hawke's Bay Arts Festival

Frazey Ford will be performing at the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival opening night on October 14. Photo / Supplied

The musical playlist for October's Hawke's Bay Arts Festival is packed and diverse with modern, contemporary, classical and quirky tunes.

Here's a taste of what's on offer.

Frazey Ford, October 14, 7.30pm. Opening the festival, and celebrating the return of international acts, is this deeply purifying opening night performance. Part of an international tour, soul/Americana singer-songwriter Frazey Ford is a captivating presence, supported by the intoxicating lilt of her band. Her latest album U kin B the Sun invites both self-reflection and wildly joyful movement and ultimately sparks a quiet transcendence.

Letters from Iraq, October 19, 7.30pm. Chamber Music New Zealand presents Letters from Iraq. Experience love and loss, home and hope with Grammy Award-winning Iraqi-American composer and oud player Rahim AlHaj, alongside the New Zealand String Quartet.

Jackie Goes Prima Diva, from October 19 to 23. This series of gigs in rural Hawke's Bay is in association with Jamie Macphail's Small Hall sessions. Homegrown chanteuse Jackie Clarke turns her powerhouse vocals, wicked humour and maverick entertainment style to the songs of the 20th and 21st centuries' most legendary divas.

Anthonie Tonnon, Leave Love Out of This, October 20, 7.30pm. Winner of the coveted 2022 Taite Music Prize, Kiwi singer-songwriter Anthonie Tonnon presents his third album Leave Love Out of This with a full band and a highly physical show.

Teremoana Rapley, Daughter of a Housegirl, October 21, 7.30pm. Bass-heavy beats and sweet flamenco-inspired folk tunes overlaid with vibrations and frequencies encourage audiences to be present in this inter-dimensional, multi-disciplinary musical experience of life, love and living. This is a concert with the same name as her debut album, Daughter of a Housegirl. It's been 32 years in the making and will be released in 2022.

Don McGlashan & The Others will be on stage at the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival on October 26. Photo / Supplied

Sharing the Dream, October 23, 5pm. Festival Opera in association with The Dame Malvina Major Foundation present Sharing the Dream. A gala concert to celebrate Dame Malvina Major - her life, her art and her commitment to the next generation of artists. A sparkling evening featuring some of New Zealand's finest opera singers.

Don McGlashan & The Others, October 26, 7.30pm. Don McGlashan needs little introduction. Join him on a journey through his latest beautiful album Bright November Morning, which went straight to the top of the New Zealand charts. Recorded in Lyttelton, Auckland and Vancouver, and full of inspired playing from his band The Others. Featuring Shayne P Carter (Straitjacket Fits, Dimmer), Chris O'Connor (SJD, Phoenix Foundation) and James Duncan (SJD, Dimmer), Bright November Morning marks a new stage in McGlashan's generous and humane songbook.

Arahi, The Revelator, October 30, 7.30pm. A fusion of theatre and music and elements of live devised theatre with soul-wrenching songs.