BAND / ROPU PUORO

Caelan Thomas ASSISTANT MUSICAL DIRECTOR

Caelan is a Christchurch-based accompanist, musical director, and arranger, and became an Associate of Trinity College, London (ATCL) in 2015.

His previous Court Theatre credits include RENT; Little Shop Of Horrors and Jersey Boys. His other theatre credits include The Wedding Singer (National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art); Chicago; Legally Blonde Jr (CentreStage Rolleston); Bad Girls (Riccarton Players) and The Witches of Eastwick (Kirwee Players).

Caelan is currently working with The Vocal Collective as their accompanist; as one of two musical directors working with the Selwyn Community Choir; and regularly as an accompanist for students at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art.

Rakuto has established himself as a versatile violin / viola / piano player and composer and is a graduate of the University of Canterbury (Master of Music).

His theatre credits include leading the orchestra in Chicago and Fiddler on the Roof.

Orchestral experiences include joining the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18, performing with New Zealand Opera; Royal New Zealand Ballet; Dunedin Symphony Orchestra; Hawke's Bay Orchestra; Secret Sinfonia, and many more. As a recording artist, Rakuto has recorded many of his own compositions and has also played for other artists such as Aled Jones and Russell Watson with the BMG Label (UK).

Rakuto is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Magic Carpet Music Trust, a charitable trust which promotes music throughout rural communities in New Zealand's South Island, whilst providing young performers and composers with performance experience and career development opportunities.

Iain Brandram-Adams CELLO

Iain is a graduate of the University of Canterbury, receiving a Master of Music with distinction in 2005.

His theatre credits include Spring Awakening and Sweet Charity (NASDA); Phantom of the Opera; West End To Broadway; Evita, Sister Act; Les Misérables; Miss Saigon and many others (Showbiz Christchurch) as cellist; and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and Chess (MUSOC) as pianist.

Iain’s television credits include Campbell Live, Good Morning and Madame Morison as cellist, arranger and composer.

Iain is active throughout the greater Christchurch area as a cello, piano, composition and music theory teacher.

His other interests include cryptic crosswords, meditation, social deduction games and Rust programming.

Michael Story

DOUBLE BASS

Michael is a professional double bassist and electric bassist with extensive experience performing throughout Australia and New Zealand. He has made multiple appearances at the Melbourne, Wangaratta, Nelson, Tauranga, Christchurch and Queenstown Jazz Festivals; Adelaide Fringe Festival; WOMAD; Port Fairy and Woodford Folk Festival and Christmas in the Park.

Michael is a member of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra bass section and on the faculty of Ara Music Arts. He has received the Jerry Wise Young Performers Scholarship, Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist Grant and The Foundation for Young Australians Buzz Grant.

He is an active member of the Ōtautahi music scene performing regularly with Oval Office; Mundi; Sacha Vee; Tiger Moth; The Court Theatre; Showbiz; Ali Harper; the CSO and more.

Michael is the director of Global Music Teachers, an international music teacher marketing platform supporting thousands of teachers and musicians in the UK, NYC, Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand.

Heather Webb GUITAR

Heather is a guitarist, composer, recording artist, band leader and session musician. She performs with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra; Merk; Mousey and Terrible Sons, and at various jazz and arts festivals. She has collaborated with artists including Julia Deans; Bic Runga and Delaney Davidson, as well as leading local musicians Tom Rainey; Darren Pickering and Reuben Derrick. Radio New Zealand named Heather as a top woman in jazz.

Heather has composed for feature length documentary and jazz ensembles, to high acclaim, including Radio New Zealand’s ‘Best of NZ Jazz,’ and been reviewed as, “a standout,” (Graham Reid) and “an engaging blend of scientific and musical nerdery” (Erin Harrington).

Heather holds a BMus (Hons) and tutors guitar at the University of Canterbury.

Douglas Brush PERCUSSION

For more than 30 years, Douglas has built an international career as a percussionist based out of Chicago and, more recently, Christchurch. He is an active performer and teacher of many styles of music.

He’s recorded on well over 60 albums and produced some of them; composed music for dance; has been involved in numerous theatre productions; written for Downbeat magazine, and has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Chicago Art Institute. He has performed and taught on five continents.

Since moving to Christchurch in early 2010, he’s performed with the Christchurch Symphony including as a soloist; the world jazz band Yurt Party; progressive rockers Rhomboid; and in theatre productions at The Court Theatre (The Mikado); Free Theatre (Woyzeck) and Showbiz Christchurch (Miss Saigon).

He teaches or has taught at a variety of schools in Christchurch including the University of Canterbury; Ara Music Arts; Christ’s College; Burnside High; Christchurch Boys High and the Christchurch School of Music.