NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2026
Dear members and supporters
It’s been an exciting start to 2026 as we celebrate the success of two grant applications to the Lankhuyzen Whetu-Kairangi Masonic Trust in December 2025. The first grant is to provide up to 3 scholarships for exceptionally talented and committed school students who meet our age and geographic criteria (aged up to 18 and living in the greater Wellington area). The second grant is for a joint project with the NZSO Education Team to work with primary schools in the Porirua/Cannons Creek area and for whom travel into the city to participate in NZSO activities is not possible. This means we will be adding some additional activities to our programme this year.
We will include the scholarships to our annual Awards round. Applications will open on 2 March and close on 31 March. After 2 March you will be able to find the application link on our website. Please do pass on this information to any school age young people (or their teacher) who you think may benefit.
The Porirua/Cannons Creek schools project is an opportunity for the NZSO Education Team to take a bespoke music programme to four primary schools. The NZSO animateur (musician story-teller) and 5 NZSO musicians will conduct a workshop with up to 30 students followed by a live performance by an NZSO ensemble in each school. The aim is to tell a story in music and pictures with as much student involvement as possible. The project will give children in Porirua/Cannons Creek a unique opportunity to experience direct access to professional orchestral musicians, build appreciation and confidence through participation in the music and strengthen the relationship between the NZSO and these communities. This is a pilot programme which the NZSO team hopes to roll out throughout the country in time. While this is largely an NZSO project, Music Futures is pleased to be the catalyst.
In other news key dates for your diary this year are:
Grant funding is becoming very difficult to come by. We were disappointed not to receive a grant from the TG McCarthy Trust for our 2026 coaching programme. We have had generous funding from the trust over 10 years, for which we are most grateful. The Trust has now changed its criteria in favour of more marginal communities. So, we were very pleased when the one-off opportunities described above arose.
This also means that your continued support is very important to us – through your membership subscription, donations and attendance at our events. Thank you very much to those of who have already paid the annual subscription and/or given us a donation in recent months. The annual subscription is $25 and you can also make a donation (tax deductible). Please pay direct to our bank account and send us an email with your details for a receipt: [email protected]
Account name: Music Futures Inc
Account number: 38 9012 0747102 00
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our events throughout the year.
Kind regards,
Lynne Dovey, Chair, on behalf of the Music Futures Committee
Brigid O’Meeghan, Larry Reese, Martin Riseley, Brendan Agnew, Phuong Truong, Elizabeth Warren and Rob Hole
It’s been an exciting start to 2026 as we celebrate the success of two grant applications to the Lankhuyzen Whetu-Kairangi Masonic Trust in December 2025. The first grant is to provide up to 3 scholarships for exceptionally talented and committed school students who meet our age and geographic criteria (aged up to 18 and living in the greater Wellington area). The second grant is for a joint project with the NZSO Education Team to work with primary schools in the Porirua/Cannons Creek area and for whom travel into the city to participate in NZSO activities is not possible. This means we will be adding some additional activities to our programme this year.
We will include the scholarships to our annual Awards round. Applications will open on 2 March and close on 31 March. After 2 March you will be able to find the application link on our website. Please do pass on this information to any school age young people (or their teacher) who you think may benefit.
The Porirua/Cannons Creek schools project is an opportunity for the NZSO Education Team to take a bespoke music programme to four primary schools. The NZSO animateur (musician story-teller) and 5 NZSO musicians will conduct a workshop with up to 30 students followed by a live performance by an NZSO ensemble in each school. The aim is to tell a story in music and pictures with as much student involvement as possible. The project will give children in Porirua/Cannons Creek a unique opportunity to experience direct access to professional orchestral musicians, build appreciation and confidence through participation in the music and strengthen the relationship between the NZSO and these communities. This is a pilot programme which the NZSO team hopes to roll out throughout the country in time. While this is largely an NZSO project, Music Futures is pleased to be the catalyst.
In other news key dates for your diary this year are:
- 17 May – Sunday afternoon concert for ensembles in our coaching programme, Adam Concert Room, Victoria University of Wellington
- 20 May – Annual General Meeting, 6 pm, St Andrew’s on The Terrace
- 25 July – The Sound of Youth Music concert, 3 pm St Andrew’s on the Terrace
Grant funding is becoming very difficult to come by. We were disappointed not to receive a grant from the TG McCarthy Trust for our 2026 coaching programme. We have had generous funding from the trust over 10 years, for which we are most grateful. The Trust has now changed its criteria in favour of more marginal communities. So, we were very pleased when the one-off opportunities described above arose.
This also means that your continued support is very important to us – through your membership subscription, donations and attendance at our events. Thank you very much to those of who have already paid the annual subscription and/or given us a donation in recent months. The annual subscription is $25 and you can also make a donation (tax deductible). Please pay direct to our bank account and send us an email with your details for a receipt: [email protected]
Account name: Music Futures Inc
Account number: 38 9012 0747102 00
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our events throughout the year.
Kind regards,
Lynne Dovey, Chair, on behalf of the Music Futures Committee
Brigid O’Meeghan, Larry Reese, Martin Riseley, Brendan Agnew, Phuong Truong, Elizabeth Warren and Rob Hole
