Lilburn Lecture
The Music Critic: An Endangered Species in Aotearoa/New Zealand? by Elizabeth Kerr (2024)
Arts commentator Elizabeth Kerr explored the role of the music critic in the Aotearoa arts ecosystem, looking back to Lilburn’s own experiences under the harsh pen of critics, recalling feisty New Zealand music writers from last century, outlining her own journey in a media landscape where arts coverage is demonstrably shrinking and offering some ideas for restoration of a species in danger of extinction.
Click to listen to Elizabeth's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Unknown country: Listening for the sound of Aotearoa by Nick Bollinger (2023)
Award-winning writer, musician, and broadcaster Nick Bollinger reflected on his work as a pop critic and cultural historian and will consider some of the ways in which music can tell us about who we are.
In 2023 Nick was awarded the Lilburn Research Fellowship. In the lecture and his current research, Nick follows on from his recent publications, Goneville: A memoir, 100 essential New Zealand albums, and his Ockham award-winning Jumping Sundays: The rise and fall of counterculture in Aotearoa New Zealand. These all offer a window on life across the motu and what the music we have and own can reveal about us, both individually and as a nation. The lecture took place on 2 November 2023 at Taiwhanga Kauhau, National Library, Wellington and was recorded by RNZ. The vote of thanks was given by Redmer Ysker.
Click to listen to Nick's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
The Endless Search for the Next Note: An Outline of a Composing Life from an Unlikely Beginning to an Unlikely Present by Ross Harris (2022)
Leading contemporary New Zealand composer and musician Ross Harris, QSM, traversed his life and musical career in the Lilburn Lecture, 2022. Largely self-taught, he talked about his early musical experiences, learning by example from Douglas Lilburn in the 1970s, collaborating with writers Witi Ihimaera and Vincent O’Sullivan, and the freedom of composing and performing klezmer music. Ross illustrated his stories with a wide selection of musical excerpts from his composing career and a performance by the klezmer group The Kugels, of which Ross is a part. Vincent O’Sullivan gave the Vote of Thanks. As a performer, Ross has also played French horn with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and was a founding member of the group Free Radicals. Awarded the QSM in 1985 for his opera Waituhi, his compositions now number more than 200. In 2014 he was awarded an Arts Foundation Laureate. The lecture took place on 2 November 2022 at Taiwhanga Kauhau, National Library, Wellington and was recorded by RNZ. This lecture was originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to COVID-19.
Click to listen to Ross’s lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
New Zealand Music: Living the Dream by Karyn Hay (2020)
Author and broadcaster Karyn Hay (ONZM) looked at the life of a New Zealand artist. Reflecting on the recent acquisition of Flying Nun Records collection into the Archive of New Zealand Music at the Alexander Turnbull Library, she focussed on the challenges for an entire generation of New Zealand musicians and songwriters. Karyn touched on the themes of the creative process and the recurring challenges for an artist: leaving home to 'make it' overseas, getting radio play, having a day job, and the ability to push through those barriers to create art. She also looked at the questions of when and why do some give up? Is the challenge any different for the genders? How to stop yourself going mad, giving up or becoming bitter? More optimistically, has it given everything, if not more, than you hoped for? The lecture took place on 2 November 2020 at Taiwhanga Kauhau, National Library, Wellington and was recorded by RNZ. It concluded with special guests Don McGlashan and Shayne P. Carter performing.
Click to listen to Karyn's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Breath of the Birds - The Revival of Taonga Puoro by Dame Gillian Whitehead (2019)
Esteemed New Zealand composer Dame Gillian Whitehead, DMus, DNZM, MNZM (Ngāi te Rangi) spoke about the origin of ngā taonga puoro, their revival, and how she has used these traditional Māori musical instruments in her work. The lecture included a performance by NZSO principal flautist, Bridget Douglas and taonga puoro performer and researcher, Alistair Fraser. Three times winner of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award and the 2018 recipient of the Arts Foundation Arts Icon Award, Gillian Whitehead's work has been recognised internationally for several decades. Often working collaboratively with artists from various disciplines, Gillian has also frequently incorporated taonga puoro and Māori themes into her work. The lecture took place on 1 November 2019 at Taiwhanga Kauhau, National Library, Wellington and was recorded by RNZ.
Click to listen to Gillian's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Wide Blows Our Banner: How far have women composers in New Zealand come since Suffrage? by Eve de Castro‐Robinson (2018)
Celebrated composer Eve de Castro‐Robinson asked how much progress women composers in New Zealand have made since the granting of equal voting rights 125 years ago. Reflecting on changes in New Zealand's musical and socio‐political culture, de Castro‐Robinson considered her own journey as a female composer from the mid‐1980s onward. Eve de Castro‐Robinson is one of New Zealand's foremost composers, whose works have been widely performed. She has made many contributions to New Zealand music, including as a trustee of SOUNZ and is currently Associate Professor in Composition at the University of Auckland. The lecture took place on 2 November 2018 in the National Library Auditorium and was recorded by RNZ.
Click to listen to Eve's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Searching for Voice, Searching for Reo by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (2017)
Acclaimed musician and composer Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Puhi) discussed his journey as a composer, giving expression to his twin passions of music composition and mātauranga Māori creativity. The lecture took place on 2 November 2017 and was recorded by RNZ.
Click to listen to Charles's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Prosaic notes from an unwritten journal by Jenny McLeod (2016)
Acclaimed composer Jenny McLeod surveyed her life's work and experience in relation to her friend Douglas Lilburn's manifestos of New Zealand musical identity, A Search for Tradition (1946) and A Search for a Language (1969). The lecture took place on 2 November 2016 and was recorded by RNZ.
Click to listen to Jenny's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
A Broader Tradition, a Broader Language by Chris Bourke (2015)
Marking the 100th anniversary of Lilburn's birth – music historian Chris Bourke discussed the place of local popular music in New Zealand. Bourke considered the ideas discussed by Lilburn in his celebrated talks A Search for Tradition and A Search for a Language: are they still relevant, and can they be answered by popular music? The lecture took place on 4 November 2015 and was recorded by RNZ.
Click to listen to Chris's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Signatures and Footprints by William Dart (2014)
Titled Signatures and Footprints, William Dart talked about the complexity of securing identity and individuality. He drew on historian E.H. McCormick's essay from 1960 — Distance Looks Our Way: The Effects of Remoteness on New Zealanders — and how, even in our time of instant global communication, his words still resonate.
Click to listen to William's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
Plato's Cave: Realities of Composing In New Zealand by Philip Norman (2013)
The inaugural Lilburn Lecture was given by Dr. Philip Norman in the Hunter Council Chamber, Victoria University, Wellington on 2 November 2013.
Click to listen to Philip's lecture, courtesy of RNZ Concert.
