NZ Aria singers granted surround sound backing

A BayTrust grant will give young singers from around New Zealand and Australia the chance to sing with a full professional orchestra in Rotorua.
BayTrust is giving $10,000 to help pay for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra to come to Rotorua for the New Zealand Aria competition.
New Zealand Aria chairwoman Jo-Anne La Grouw was pleased with the grant.
"We're always very elated when we get grants and funding."
Mrs La Grouw said the contest was the only singing competition in Australasia that had a full orchestra to back the singers and this attracted competitors from around the country and Australia.
"They just love to have that opportunity to sing with the orchestra.
"It just lifts the calibre of their singing up another notch."
The New Zealand Aria competition in Rotorua, which is sponsored by Waiariki Institute of Technology, has been going for 13 years and this year's finals are on October 30.
BayTrust has granted $41,305 to various Rotorua organisations and about $288,000 to the whole of the Bay of Plenty.
BayTrust trust manager Bruce Cronin said there was about $1.3 million in grant applications from the Bay of Plenty, so it was not easy to choose which organisations to give money to.
"Our trustees have a difficult job," he said.
He said BayTrust tried to concentrate on organisations involved with health, education, communication, culture and heritage.
"We tend to see if an application links with one of those areas."
Mr Cronin said it took a while to process applications so organisations should apply for grants six months before they needed them.
But he said the trust only gives out a maximum of 50 per cent of the costs of an organisation's project.
"We never fund anything totally."
Grants are given out four times a year.
 
GRANT RECIPIENTS
Enviroschools Foundation - $7000
Epilepsy Association of New Zealand Rotorua branch - $7325
Lakeswater Quality Society - $2500
New Zealand Aria Trust, Rotorua - $10,000
Reporoa Lions Charitable Trust - $1980
Rotorua and District Multiple Sclerosis Society - $10,000
Te Amorangi Trust Museum - $2500