Five Lines is a collection of writings about music in Aotearoa New Zealand by Elizabeth Kerr. It features short articles, artist profiles and reviews of concerts, operas and albums. You can subscribe - it’s free - at the bottom of any story.
Celebrating Brian Turner: “Taking Off” in poetry and song
Composer Janet Jennings and writer and environmentalist Jillian Sullivan will meet in an Aspiring Conversations session at the Wanaka Festival of Colour to talk about the life and poetry of Brian Turner.
The Adam Festival: the playful joy of chamber music
The 2026 Adam Chamber Music Festival in Nelson was a joyous event with big-name stars, outstanding artistic standards and a playful sense of fun.
Somi Kim’s Pictures: virtuosity on full display
Somi Kim’s new album Pictures at an Exhibition pairs Mussorgsky’s piano masterpiece with a new work, Aotearoa Pictures, by New Zealand composer Janet Jennings.
Force of Nature: Forest & Bird’s clarion call
A musical project celebrating the centenary of Forest & Bird brings nine new compositions to life and sounds a clarion call about conservation of Aotearoa’s native habitats and species.
The Earth Child: A Mansfield centenary tribute album
Composer Janet Jennings has curated a brilliant album as tribute to Katherine Mansfield, marking the centenary of the writer’s death and including her own setting of Mansfield’s Earth Child poems.