As part of the Arts Precinct in the city – The Piano is an integral pillar of the precinct. Opened in post-quake Christchurch, it’s a venue that has helped bring people back into the city and has played host to many performers, festivals and concerts over the last decade. We speak to Marcus Norman about the last ten years and what’s in store for the next ten…
The Piano is turning ten! That’s crazy!
Isn’t it? We opened ten years ago in a very different, post-quake Christchurch, so it was quite a moment for Ōtautahi opening a brand-new venue. At that time, we were a beacon of connection and community, and in the 10 years since we’ve developed into a busy, vibrant hub for community, professional, and young artists alike. It took tenacity and vision of the founding Director, Trustees and sponsors to establish The Piano – and we’re deeply grateful to all the individuals, organisations and the City Council for believing in us.
And what a venue! It’s such a great building.
Never a day goes by when we don’t feel humbled to have such an exceptional facility right here in Ōtautahi. Ten years on our focus remains as a place of connection for the arts community as a place of performance, education and gathering. It’s always been important to us that we are accessible, and for everyone. In many ways a civic space – with world-class acoustics in our Philip Carter Family Concert Hall to boot!
The performing arts precinct feels like it’s really coming to life – do you feel that?
Absolutely – and it’s felt across the community too. With the Isaac Theatre Royal anchoring the beginnings of Te Whare Tapere in 2014, WORD Festival hosting their annual festival at The Piano and Tūranga, and the opening of The Court Theatre last year, the precinct is buzzing. Now the area feels much more connected and more like a destination than ever before. We’re also collaborating to co-present shows and activities – our recent Te Whare Tapere Open Day was a big hit. We’re all stronger together.
That sounds like a campaign slogan!
But one that we live and stand by! Together we can achieve a lot more than if we’re doing it alone. I know all the venues and organisations in the precinct and beyond want to work together for the benefit of Christchurch.
You’ve been in the role for just over two years now – how have things evolved at The Piano in that time?
We’ve always supported young people and emerging artists, and I’ve proactively invested even more in developing emerging artists – a big focus for us is providing professional development opportunities through free or heavily subsidised venue hire, mentoring support, free tickets and project management guidance. In just the past five years or so we’ve supported over 35 projects involving young people and schools, and enabled 20 individual emerging artists to realise a project or performance at The Piano. Our recent establishment of the Bronwyn Bijl Scholarship has been a deepening of our support of emerging artists, with a strong focus on developing entrepreneurial skills and career prospects.
I’ve also seen a fabulous increase in diversity of art forms performed at The Piano. Particularly music – jazz, folk, classical, country, pop, and even D&B feature almost weekly from some of Aotearoa’s finest. We’re also a popular venue for comedy, theatre and dance – and we’ve seen an increase in panel discussions, podcasts and presentations. So, the last couple of years has definitely seen a big diversification of art forms. I think the intimacy of our Concert Hall is such a unique experience.
And how is the Bronwyn Bijl Scholarship coming along?
We’ve awarded four scholarships since establishing in 2025. It really represents the ethos of The Piano. Our two inaugural recipients – Kaitlyn Rodley and Myah Eve have epic recordings of their projects up online. It’s inspiring to see young people achieving their dreams.
One of those young people is Alex Boot who is recording an album at The Piano this month – that sounds really cool.
Alex was one of two exceptional recipients this year – alongside Nafa (aka. Harry Mohi). When Alex proposed his project Finding Balance for the scholarship, he initially wanted to record his debut album of original music as a closed recording session – but then we talked about the idea of a live event with an audience. Alex was excited by this for the quality of the acoustics and the energy of the audience would be a great way to capture this session. Maybe one day we’ll release a “Live at The Piano” album with some of our most memorable performances captured live!
So, your 10th birthday celebrations include a concert?
That’s right, our Big Birthday Bash on 19 Nov featuring artists who represent the breadth and depth of community, professional and young musicians who call The Piano home. Jed Parsons is our MC (so you know it’ll be a good night!) with a line up including NZ Army Band, Mel Parsons, Michael Endres, Jimmy Rainey & Friends, Terrible Sons, Jubilate Singers, and students from Burnside High School and Te Kura Whakapūmau. Tickets available now.
You’re in double digits now, so you’re allowed to do what you like! But crystal ball gazing for a moment – what would you like to see happen in the next ten years at The Piano?
Lots more great music and memorable events, more support for emerging artists and the Waitaha Canterbury arts sector, every single Christchurch resident engaging with us in some way, maybe a ‘Live at The Piano’ record label, lots more ‘ooos’ and ‘ahhhs’ and sparks of imagination…