Jack Grace, Rewa Ututaonga and Nikau Grace Chater perform at the Lakeside 25 launch. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Jack Grace, Rewa Ututaonga and Nikau Grace Chater perform at the Lakeside 25 launch. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Rotorua’s been through a rough time but let’s get reacquainted with why we choose to live here and why this city has been the envy of others throughout New Zealand.
That’s the message as Lakeside 25 - the 25th outdoor concert to be held on March 11 next year -was launched last night.
Rotorua Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust chairman Ian Edward told invited guests at the launch at Novotel Lakeside Rotorua’s Clark’s Bar music was a great vehicle to bring people together.
“We all need some good news and I hope this event will be a good force to feel that sense of pride again,” Edward said.
Covid-19 had spoilt the 25th anniversary concert for the past two years and organisers have had time to settle on what next year’s show will be like.
The original plan was to bring back Lakeside of days gone by and feature the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra and international opera stars.
Image 1 of 17: The launch of Lakeside 2023. Photo / Ngareta Creative
But then Edward had a change of heart - he decided to sit down and write a list of all the local singers, dancers and musicians who have appeared on the national and international stage and was shocked to come up with a page-and-a-half of names.
That cemented his feelings the 25th show needed to be about celebrating what was great about Rotorua, Edward said.
The trust has selected the “best in the business” to be artistic director - Dixon Nacey, who is the artistic director of all the Christmas In The Park concerts in New Zealand, Edward said.
Nacey said it was incredible how many talented artists came from Rotorua - commenting he had to “pinch” some of that talent to be part of Christmas in the Park this year. Except, the irony was they were needed for rehearsals in Auckland this week so he had to find some Auckland musicians to be in Rotorua last night for the launch gig.
“I know this is going to be a special show because of the special people from your community.”
Three of Rotorua’s best gave invited guests a taste of what’s to come by performing some of the songs that could make their way on to next year’s show.
Nikau Grace Chater performs at the Lakeside 25 launch. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Rewa Ututaonga performs at the Lakeside 25 launch. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Rewa Ututaonga - who has performed at countless Lakesides including the very first one - gave her rendition of Adele’s Make You Feel My Love, Nikau Grace Chater melted the crowd with Eva Cassidy’s Somewhere Over The Rainbow while Jack Grace got the bar jiving to Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. The trio then performed Margaret Urlich’s Escaping.
One of the original trust members who helped get Lakeside off the ground, former Rotorua mayor Grahame Hall, paid tribute to Edward who had been at the helm of the Lakeside concerts for 25 years.
“We really owe you a debt of gratitude. Ian Edward is an exceptional man and we are lucky to have him.”
