Frances McElhinney says her new role as director of the Oamaru Opera House fits her passion perfectly.
The former Nelson School of Music general manager started in the role on December 8, and said it had been a ''whirlwind'' month settling in to a new town and job.
Originally from Dunedin, Mrs McElhinney has spent time on the West Coast, New Plymouth, Wellington and Auckland before moving to Nelson, where she had lived for the past 23 years.
For the past eight years, Mrs McElhinney has been the Nelson School of Music's general manager, overseeing programming for events, conferences and touring performances, venue hire, marketing and promotion, budgeting and financial reporting and a music programme for community education.
She has also been involved with the Nelson Jazz and Blues Festival, the annual Winter Festival and ''Light Nelson'', a collaboration of art, science and technology to develop works which respond to darkness through illuminated installations.
Applying for the Oamaru Opera House position felt like the right decision to make, in her search for new opportunities and ''a broader scope'' than just music.
''I could see what was happening [in Oamaru] ... I love where Oamaru's going. I love that there's some really passionate people in this town who are helping it develop and evolve,'' she said.
She has ''fond memories'' of the North Otago town where her grandparents lived and her mother was born and raised.
Mrs McElhinney said Oamaru's infrastructure was ''pretty spectacular'' and while she would be taking a step back from organising community events as she settled into her new role, she saw huge potential for events to grow and develop in the town.
She said she loved the diversity of the arts in venue management in New Zealand and audience development was high on her agenda in Oamaru.
''It's about finding out who your audiences are and for me, this is a community facility so it's really important to find out who's not coming and why ... I want to find out what the barriers are,'' she said.
''We want as many people to appreciate [the Opera House] as much as possible.''
She said it was important community organisations had access to an entertainment facility and felt as if they belonged.
In Nelson she was involved with ''Test Drive the Arts'' an initiative that introduces people to the performing arts, offering guest seats to people who had never been in a facility before.
''`For some people it's quite scary, they don't know what to expect ... It shouldn't be intimidating, it should be welcoming,'' she said.
She sees herself in Oamaru long term.
''It takes time to effect change and you've got to really get a feel for things and change happens by bringing people with you,'' she said.
Her husband Mike will join her in Oamaru next month.
