Akaroa

The University of Canterbury's College of Arts has announced details of the 2011 International Akaroa Summer Festival, which will be held in the seaside town between 14 and 30 January.

The last festival attracted over 2,400 guests, 1000 of whom stayed in Akaroa to the benefit of local businesses.

For the 2011 Festival, the College of Arts has secured internationally renowned artists such as Mathias Tacke from Chicago, Matias de Oliveira Pinto from Berlin, Ekaterina Derzhavina from Moscow and Edith Salzmann, Michael Endres, Anthony Ferner, Stephen Larsen, Serenity Thurlow, Helen Webby and Dame Malvina Major.

"We are looking forward to having everyone in Akaroa for 10 days of intensive rehearsing, teaching and performing and we welcome New Zealand's highly talented music students and, of course, our audience," says festival director Wolfgang Kraemer.

The festival will include masterclasses and rehearsals that will be open to the public.

"We would like to encourage everyone to spend some time attending instrumental lessons or listening to a musical masterpiece taking shape in rehearsals. Akaroa has proven to be a wonderful host town for our festival and we are looking forward to January's events."