• Award for Leese
Soprano Anna Leese has picked up an Arts Foundation New Generation Award, of $25,000. She was one of five recipients announced this week.
Leese made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2007, as Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème.
She has won an impressive list of awards and aria prizes and has sung on the concert stage with several of the world's most-loved singers, including with Andrea Bocelli in Auckland and with Jose Carreras in Newcastle, Seoul and Taipei.
Leese will be the first artist in residence at the New Zealand Singing School in Napier residency early in 2011. She is currently studying privately with Lillian Watson in London.
• City's first theatre awards
The inaugural Dunedin Theatre Awards are on Friday at the Fortune Theatre. Awards will be bestowed in categories including production of the year, best director, best performance (male and female), best script and best design.
The competition for production of the year is between Globe production The Dumb Waiter, RSB Productions' One Day and two Fortune Theatre shows, The Pitmen Painters and Wuthering Heights. A panel of critics were responsible for the nominations.
Directors in the running are Hilary Norris, Lisa Warrington and Patrick Davies. Best performance (male) nominees are Andrew Morrison, John Glass and Simon O'Connor, while the female nominees are Anna Henare (for two shows) and Barbara Power.
• Codat artists' website
A new website is promoting Central Otago's artists - www.centralotagoarts.comDeveloping the website has been a major project this year for the Central Otago District Arts Trust (Codat).
Arts co-ordinator Maxine Williams says the website gives Central Otago the potential to become a dynamic and progressive arts destination despite its isolation.
There are more than 30 artists listed on the site and the trust expects that number to double within the next few months. Artists can have a free name and contact listing on the website. A further option expands their presence to a profile with up to 10 gallery images.
• Creative NZ residencies
In 2011 Creative New Zealand is offering three opportunities to established New Zealand writers.
The Creative New Zealand Michael King Writers Fellowship:
- Valued at $100,000, the fellowship will be awarded for a project that will take two years or more to complete. It is open to established authors of any literary genre.
The Berlin Writers Residency:
- Offers a New Zealand writer the opportunity to live and write in Berlin for a period of up to 11 months.
International Writing Programme, University of Iowa, US:
- Provides a three-month residency and return travel to Iowa.
Applications close on February 25, 2011.
