Next year’s Bay of Plenty Music School is to be held in the middle weekend of the third term school holidays.
It is the second of two years for the school to take place in Whakatane in an annual rotation around the region that last saw the school in Taupō in 2024/25.
The Whakatane organising committee completed a survey to determine an alternative date given a clash with the Brass Band National Competitions being held in the middle of the April 2027 holidays.
While the school has settled on the unusual dates of the weekend of Friday, October 1 to Sunday, October 3, 2027, the organisation says it hopes to be able to revert to the normal April slot for the 2028 BOP Music School in New Plymouth.
Warner Haldane, chair of the Whakatane host committee for the BOPMS, has confirmed that Michael Joel and Lauren MacMillan have indicated they are currently available for those dates to conduct the orchestra and wind band respectively.
However, choir conductor Christine Argyle is unavailable, so the committee is looking for someone to take on the role.
Any recommendations can be emailed to [email protected] .
The Whakatane host committee says it is planning to get into full organisation mode at the beginning of 2027.
Caption: Lauren MacMillan conducting the windband at the BOPMS in Taupō in 2025. Photo: Richard Lummus.
