SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST – Wellington and Hutt finals on 20 June

SMOKEFREEROCKQUEST 2015 – Wellington and Hutt finals on 20 June

It’s the big night of the year for youth music in Wellington next Saturday as the top bands and solo/duo performers in the Wellington and Hutt region play off in the regional final of Smokefreerockquest 2015.

The top ten bands and two solo-duos to play off on Saturday 20 June at the Wellington Opera House were selected at heats held last month.

Smokefreerockquest founder and director Glenn Common said Smokefreerockquest offers the entrants on Saturday night a platform for live performance that builds on what they have learnt at school.

“The support that contemporary musicians get in schools these days is evident in the number of young musicians that get to performance standard,” he said. “Secondary school teachers offer tuition and encouragement, create space for bands and soloists to practise, they come along to support them at Smokefreerockquest and help them to get the most value from the experience of entering SFRQ – before, during and after.”

He said the professional performance environment offered by SFRQ included a stage set up with lights, sound, projection and technical support in a show that includes a guest band, MC and lots of giveaways.

There are 12 acts competing to join the ranks of Kiwi music success at the Wellington & Hutt regional final. The top two solo/duos selected at the heats are:

Susanna Graham Naenae College
Angel Rose Raphael House Rudolf Steiner Area School

The top 10 bands to play off at the regional final are:
Amisam Hutt Valley High School
Scamps Scots College
Oharo Hutt Valley High School
The Valve Hutt Valley High School, Wellington College
Bird on a wire Onslow College
Slak-J Heretaunga College
Swim Hutt Valley High School, Upper Hutt College
The Satellites Raphael House Rudolf Steiner Area School
Genie Hutt Valley High School
Unstable Ground Wa Ora Montessori School

The Wellington and Hutt regional final is at the Wellington Opera House on Saturday 20 June, 7pm, tickets are $10 school students and $20 adults from Ticketek or at the door. The guest bands are the 2014 Smokefreerockquest national winners, Head Chef from Wellington and Auckland five piece rock band, The Eversons.

At the regional final the top two bands are selected to go into the national finalists’ judging pool, other awards and prizes are presented and the top two solo/duos play off for first and second place, with both going on to the judging pool for the national final.

Smokefreerockquest, powered by Rockshop, has national winners’ prize packages for bands and the solo/duo winners, that includes $22,000 in Rockshop vouchers, a $20,000 NZ On Air recording, video and promo package’ a ‘Decent Exposure’ campaign on FOUR, a photo shoot with Thievery Studio, a branding package from Imaginary Friends and the Unleashed Travel ambassador award – a seven day trip to Fiji.
There is also the MAINZ (Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand) Scholarship for Outstanding Musicianship, the APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) Lyric Award, the Lowdown Best Song Award and the Smokefree Women’s Musicianship Award. The People’s Choice award is voted by text, with the opportunity to open the Smokefreerockquest national final.

More info at sfrq.co.nz or facebook.com/thesfrq

ENDS

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