Young musicians Oscar and Joshua Han – finalists in Australia’s Got Talent – are being supported by Jack Richards in the Rising Stars Progamme at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Jack Richards commissioned a violin for Oscar. Click here to see a video on the making of the violin.
Dr. Richards is an enthusiastic art and music lover and supporter of activities such as the Tiromoana Summer Concerts and the New Zealand School of Music Composer in Residence.
“Composers are often dependent upon commissions to enable them to devote time to full-time work on significant pieces. Many famous works in the musical repertoire resulted from private commissions, and in recent years I have begun sponsoring a range of both small-scale as well as larger-scale works by New Zealand (or New Zealand-based) composers, in order to help them enrich the New Zealand musical landscape.”
Jack commissioned a piano concerto by leading New Zealand composer Gareth Farr. The first performance of the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra was performed with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra on March 28, 2014, with pianist Tony Lee. Read a review of the concerto here.
Jack Richard’s home town of Gisborne, New Zealand, has a long tradition of excellence in Maori arts.
Many of the finest examples of carved and painted meeting houses (known as Marae) in New Zealand are located in the district, and the region is home to a number of nationally renowned Maori carvers, weavers, ceramists and specialists in other fields of Maori art.
The local Polytechnic in Gisborne has a school of contemporary Maori art, called Toihoukura. It offers a range of courses in contemporary Maori art and design. Tutors in the program are nationally recognized leaders in the field of contemporary Maori art.
In order to facilitate participation by Maori students in Toihoukura programs and to encourage the wider recognition of the quality of work produced by students in Toihoukura, Professor Richards offers annual scholarships to students in the program and sponsors special commissions and awards.