Join us for the final day of the Christchurch Big Band Festival.

Unfortunately the weather forecast isn’t looking good for picnicking, so we’ve reluctantly made the call to go for a cozy indoor day with our friends at A Rolling Stone and The Church Pub.

Do come along and enjoy more great big band music…

The schedule for the bands is the same but those on Stage 1 will be at A Rolling Stone, and Stage 2 are going to The Church Pub.

A Rolling Stone Schedule (579 Colombo Street)

10am Nelson Big Band

11am CSM Big Band (Christchurch School of Music)

12 noon All Girl Big Band

1pm Sideline Swing

2pm The Middleton Grange Big Band

3pm CYJO (Christchurch Youth Jazz Orchestra)

4pm Cashmere High Stage Band

The Church Pub Schedule (124 Worcester Street)

10.30am Southland Youth Big Band (Invercargill)

11.30am Mainland Big Band

12.30pm Ellesmere Big Band

1.30pm Garden City Big Band

2.30pm Christchurch Boys’ High Big Band

3.30pm Shirley Boys’ Big Band

A highlight of the Christchurch Big Band Festival each year is the Big Band Boogie Ball.

Dance the night away to the music of the swing dance music of Nelson Big Band, the 2024 All Star Band and the Ellesmere Big Band. And you won’t want to miss the special dance demo break by the Swingtown Rebels!

Nelson Big Band

All Star Big Band

Ellesmere Big Band

Food and drink will be available for purchase. Food is provided by The Chippy.

You’ll find the beautiful Great Hall in the north quad of the Arts Centre.

Head to Fat Eddie's to enjoy entertainment and dance music by Timaru's very own Bay City Big Band and local Christchurch Sideline Swing over some delicious pizza and drink.

Also a chance to warm up your dance moves ahead of the  Boogie Ball  at the Arts Centre down the road at 7:30pm

• 4pm Bay City Big Band (Timaru)

• 5pm Sideline Swing (Christchurch)

Come and enjoy some great Big Band jazz from Chch Boy’s High School and Rangi Ruru School.

This is a free event as part of the Christchurch Big Band Festival.

Food and drink are available for purchase.

• 2:30pm Christchurch Boys’ High Big Bands (CBHS)

• 3:30pm Rangi Ruru Big Band

Big Bands play at the Arts Centre

1pm   Garden City Big Band

2pm   The All Girl Big Band

3pm   Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra

This event joins the Heritage Festival and the Arts Centre as we celebrate our big band musical heritage in the beautiful heritage spaces of the Arts Centre.

It will be held in the beautiful North Quad, and if wet, it will relocate to the Great Hall.

Come to The Church Pub to hear a fantastic line up of big bands.

Serving great pizzas and drinks, the Church Pub will be a great place to hang back and enjoy the music of five fabulous bands!

• 11:30am Sideline Swing

• 12:30pm  Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra 

• 1:30pm Nelson Jazz Club Big Band

• 2:30pm Hot Lava (Hanmer Springs and Akaroa)

• 3pm Southland Youth Big Band (Invercargill)

Big Bands at Riverside Market

The bands play on all through Sunday lunch from 10am - 2pm. Grab yourself some delicious kai from Riverside Market and listen to these awesome Big Bands swing their way through the day.

This family friendly free event is bought to you by the Christchurch Big Band Festival.

• 10am Ellesmere Big Band

• 11am Bay City Big Band (Timaru)

• 12noon CSM Big Band (Christchurch School of Music)

• 1pm Hot Lava (Hanmer Springs and Akaroa)

• 1:30pm Cashmere Jazz Ensemble

Symposium Big Band

This not-to-be-missed gala concert showcases Ōtautahi’s own Symposium Big Band showcasing the power and sophistication of big band jazz.

Formed in 2007, Symposium brings together some of Aotearoa’s top jazz talent, under the direction of Alex van den Broek. The band is known for championing bold, contemporary works alongside big band classics, with past collaborations including jazz greats James Morrison, Francesco Torres and Fantine Maria Pritoula.

For the 2025 Christchurch Big Band Jazz Festival Gala Concert, Symposium Big Band will present an exciting programme spanning iconic Count Basie classics through to cutting-edge works by leading contemporary arrangers and composers, and bringing together some of New Zealand’s most accomplished and dynamic jazz musicians, including Cam Pearce (trumpet), Jack Harre (Trumpet), Gwyn Reynolds (saxophone), Jimmy Rainey (saxophone), Scott Taitoko (trombone), Tom Rainey (piano), Michael Story (bass), Joe McCallum (Drums), Heather Webb (Guitar), led by conductor Alex van den Broek.

Featured soloists will include emerging young talents Will Kao (trombone), Monet Shutte (saxophone/vocals), and Reiss Fantani (saxophone/vocals), with acclaimed vocalist Naomi Ferguson leading the performance.

Audiences can expect a dynamic night of swinging classics, soulful ballads, and bold new works — featuring virtuosic solos and a powerhouse ensemble.

This will be a Gala Concert of world-class jazz — vibrant, daring, and unmistakably Christchurch.

This concert will be opened by the talented 2025 Christchurch Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Dinner Band Leader/Member Panel Discussion and Social Band hang

6pm-7pm

Lana Law and Chris Petch will be discussing approaches and techniques for playing in, and leading a big band mc'd by Judith Bell. Bring your questions.

Pizza will be supplied and there will be a cash bar.

Topics included in discussion:

• Band layout – Which band seating arrangements work best in different situations and why.

• Band warm ups – favourite exercises to get the most out of rehearsal time

• Repertoire choices – choosing and sourcing charts for your band

• Band tempos/start offs

• Balance and Blend - mic use

A great chance for some professional development and networking prior to the Gala Concert at 7:30pm.

Bands in the Court Theatre Gough Family Foyer

Enjoy woodfire pizzas and drinks and listen to two fabulous bands directed by Lana Law in the beautiful new Court Theatre Gough Family Foyer before heading to The Piano to catch the Gala Concert. (Note that the time of this event is later than the originally advertised time.)

4.30pm Rangi Ruru Big Band

5pm The Middleton Grange Big Band

Here’s a great chance to hear four bands at A Rolling Stone before heading over to the Gala Concert at the Piano. (Note that this event starts an hour earlier than originally advertised.)

This is a free event as part of the Christchurch Big Band Festival. Food and drink are available for purchase.

• 1pm Papanui High School Big Band

• 2pm Southland Youth Jazz Band

• 2:30pm UC Jazz Society Big Band

• 3pm TPWOW Hagley College Big Band

• 3:30pm - 4:30pm Ellesmere Big Band

Come to The Church Pub to hear a spectacular line up of bands.

They serve great pizzas and drinks. It’ll be a great place to hang back and enjoy the music.

• 11:30am Mainland Big Band

• 12:30pm St Andrew’s Big Bands and funk band

• 2pm CSM Big Band (Christchurch School of Music)

• 2:45pm Christchurch Boys’ High Big Band

Big Bands at Riverside Market

Check out five of the awesome bands taking part in this festival. Grab a bite to eat and enjoy some free Big Band Music brought to you by the Christchurch Big Band Festival.

• 10:30am Burnside High School Big Bands

• 12:30pm Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra

• 1:30pm Nelson Jazz Club Big band

• 2:30pm Sideline Swing with guests Chisnallwood Intermediate Big Band

Improvisation with Lana Law

Lana Law will lead a workshop with tips and ideas for improvising for players of any level.

This is suitable for beginners and those with some experience wishing to pick up a few tips or have questions answered.

Bring your instrument and let the fun begin!

Lana Law bio

It was love at first play when Lana Law first picked up the baritone sax at age 13. Following her passion, she went on to complete her Bachelor of Music (BMus) Degree in Jazz Performance at Massey University before touring the world as a professional musician. Lana loves music education, teaching students individually and in groups, both privately and as an itinerant music teacher and Band Director in schools. Lana is the co-founder and Music Director of NZ’s first all female big band The All Girl Big Band, and the former Music Director of the Garden City Big Band, playing the lead alto saxophone chair in both these bands. Lana has been the Music Director of the Christchurch Youth Jazz Orchestra (CYJO) since 2021. Lana plays in various musical groups and as a session musician, both locally in Christchurch and nationally.

Come and buy a drink and some food, catch up with big-banders, grab your gig guide and get ready for the weekend - all at A Rolling Stone on Friday night!

Bring your instrument and stay on for the Big Band Jazz Jam - a chance to take over a chair for a chart or two for instrumentalists (sax, trumpet trombone or rhythm section) and play alongside new and old big band friends!

6:30pm Mainland Big Band

7:30pm Garden City Big Band

8pm -10pm The Big Band Jam with GCBB! (BYO horn!)

Head to Fat Eddie’s on Friday for pizza and a drink and to hear the wonderful new UC Jazz Society Big Band and the incredible Garden City Big Band. It's the place to be on Friday from 4-6pm.

If you sit near the balcony you might even catch some of the Big Band Festival street parade on The Terrace below led by Ambush Brass at 5pm!

• 4pm University of Canterbury Jazz Society Big Band

• 4:45 - 6pm Garden City Big Band

The Christchurch Big Band Festival with Fat Eddie’s bring you this very special event to really get the party started!

CYJO (Christchurch Youth Jazz Orchestra) is the exciting, annually formed secondary school jazz band made up from JazzQuest winners and auditioned players from around Christchurch directed by Lana Law.

The All Girl Big Band is a full big band made up of eighteen Christchurch women who have changed the face of the jazz scene in New Zealand. AGBB creates a powerhouse of sound that will blow you away! The band consists of an array of talented musicians whose infectious joy of music making is evident at all their live shows.

Fat Eddie's have a delicious menu and of course their ultra special drinks menu, so take Thursday night off and come into town to enjoy some of the best jazz Christchurch has to offer as part of the Christchurch Big Band Festival.

76 Hereford Street #Level 1 Christchurch, Canterbury 8011 on the Terrace

Cap off the weekend at Fat Eddie’s with Ōtautahi’s fabulous new Roster funk band, led by Monet Schutte.

Enjoy a beer and a pizza with friends, players, volunteers and visitors to the music of Roster.

Hope to see you there to help us celebrate an amazing weekend of Big Band Jazz!

The ROSTER is made up some of Christchurch’s top young players:

Monet Schutte - vocals/sax
Alex Gibson - sax
Alex Boot - sax
Peter Croker - trumpet
Ciaran Kingi-Booth - bass
Nicolae Didenco - drums
Jacob Mullen - guitar
Michael Khor - keys

Jazz Drumming 101 with Aaron Tuchardt (USA)

This drumming workshop will cover jazz drum set fundamentals including syncopated hits, setups, Latin grooves, brush technique, sight reading and more. It’s a quick glance at all the skills you need to poses to be a competent jazz drummer.

Bio:

Aaron Tuchardt is a professional musician and educator based out of the Pacific Northwest. After over 10 years of playing, his areas of performance center around drums, percussion, and voice. While his primary performance focus is in the Jazz scene, his classical degree has awarded many opportunities to perform in a diverse selection of genres. Aaron is fortunate enough to have shared the stage with musicians such as Chris Martin (Trumpet), John Clayton (Bass), Diane Shuur (Voice), New York Voices, Esperanza Spalding (Bass), members from Tower of Power, and more. In addition, Aaron has also toured with some of the Pacific Northwest’s premier wind and jazz ensembles. In the coming years Aaron is looking forward to continuing performing and educating around the world.

Aaron also teaches middle school and high school band, and works as a Sound Technician at Central Washington University and is the drummer for the Ellensburg Big Band.

Bring your instrument (preferably horn) and take part as you are guided on improvisation development through melodic variation techniques with jazz education legend Chris Bruya. You may also be an observer if you prefer, but you’ll get more out of it by taking part!

Chris Bruya has been involved in music education since 1983, teaching high school, community college and university, the last 20 years at Central Washington University, retiring in 2021 as Emeritus Professor of Music. While at CWU he pioneered an improvisation sequence, built a small-group program, and the jazz big band was recognized as one of the finest in the country, performing at the Montreux, North Sea and the Next Generation jazz festivals and three JEN conferences. In 2015 the band placed first at the Next Generation Festival, which included a performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival the following September. In 2015 the band was featured on Barney McClure’s CD Show Me!, and earlier on their Seabreeze Records 2008 release In A Mellow Tone. Most recently the jazz band won the undergraduate Asynchronous Recording category of the 2022 Downbeat Magazine Student Awards based upon work completed during Covid protocols, his final year at CWU. There are over 150 live-recorded YouTube videos of the band, recognized worldwide as some of the strongest examples of the big band literature. Bruya has served on WMEA, OMEA and IAJE boards in both Oregon and Washington, has presented at numerous regional conferences, directed honor bands in Tennessee, New York state, Nevada, and Texas, while in retirement remaining in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the Northwest and beyond. In 2016 the Washington Music Educators Association honored him with the Collegiate Educator of the Year award, and in 2022 inducted him into the WMEA Hall of Fame.