The public is invited to a celebration of the life of Sir Jon Trimmer KNZM MBE on Friday 2 February at the Opera House.
Sir Jon’s life (18 September 1939 – 26 October 2023) will be honoured through performances by members of the Royal New
Zealand Ballet (RNZB), alongside speeches and archive footage from his long and distinguished career.
The public are welcome to attend this free event. Doors open at 3pm, with the main programme running from 3.30pm to 5pm.
Entry for the public will be limited to the venue’s capacity and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will
be monitors in the foyer for any overflow, and this will have a live feed of the stage.
The memorial will also be recorded for those unable to attend, which will be posted on the Wellington City Council’s YouTube channel the following week.
Wellington City Council’s City Events Manager Stephen Blackburn says: “This special event is an opportunity for
Wellingtonians and the New Zealand dance community to come together and celebrate the life and career of a consummate
local artist who performed on the international dance stage and here in Aotearoa for almost the entire life of our
national ballet company.”
A spokesperson for RNZB says: “It was with great sadness that the Royal New Zealand Ballet learned of the death of our
beloved kaumatua and leading artist Sir Jon Trimmer. Our friend ‘Jon T’ was associated with the RNZB for almost 60
years, and we had the greatest privilege of being able to dedicate our season opening of Hansel & Gretel to his memory. This memorial event allows the wider community and all those whose lives he reached to
commemorate his passion, vigour and steadfast joy in sharing the magic of dance.”
Sir Jon Trimmer Memorial
Friday 2 Feb
3.30pm – 5pm (doors open 3pm)The Opera House
Programme (subject to change):3pmDoors open3.30pmBlessing3.35pmExcerpt from Te Ao Mārama (Moss Te Ururangi Patterson)3.40pmMC welcome3.43pmGisella Carr3.45pmMP Mana - Barbara Edmonds3.47pmJon's early life - documentary3.55pmJames Act I Variation, La Sylphide (August Bournonville)3.57pmLousie Hawke4.05pmAlbrecht’s Act II Entrance and first Pas de Deux, Giselle (Johan Kobborg/Ethan Stiefel)4.14pmLee Patrice4.18pmBalcony Pas de Deux, Romeo and Juliet (Francesco Ventriglia)4.25pmSpeakers RNZB4.30pmMatron and Fritz Dance, The Nutcracker (Gary Harris/Adrian Burnett)4.32pmSpeaker on behalf of Lady Jacqui Trimmer4.35pmSpeaker - Tributes4.41pmExcerpt from Meeting Karpovsky4.47pmRoll AV footage compilation
Any queries about the event and for attendees with accessibility requirements, contact events@wcc.govt.nz.