After almost a year, the search for one of the highest profile creative leadership roles in Aotearoa is finally over.

New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) has revealed American Marc Feldman - currently the Executive Director of France’s acclaimed Orchestre National de Bretagne/Laz-Senin Broadel Breizh - will be its new Chief Executive, starting in May.

It follows what NZSO describes as "an exhaustive national and international search", with NZSO Board Chair Carmel Walsh stating “Marc Feldman’s achievements at the helm of Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB) are exceptional. 

"Under his leadership, the ONB experienced financial stability, innovative artistic programming, engagement with diverse communities, as well as trusted and fruitful relationships with musicians and artistic collaborators. He has raised the profile of the orchestra in France and internationally, while growing its revenue and audiences, engaging with more communities and spearheading new creative partnerships. 

"This is exactly what we want a new Chief Executive to accomplish with the NZSO.

“Marc’s depth of experience with orchestras in the United States and France over three decades will be invaluable. Not only does he bring his passion for orchestral music and fresh perspectives, but a wealth of know-how working with government and private funders.  He already knew about the NZSO from its international reputation, its recordings, and its distinctive place in New Zealand culture and history.” 

The organisation hasn't had a permanent CE since Peter Biggs resigned from the role in April last year. Since then both Kirsten Mason (April-December 2024) and Barbara Glaser (January 2025-present) have held the fort as Acting Chief Executive - Glaser will continue to do so for the next three months until Feldman's arrival.

When asked why the process took so long to lock down, Walsh told The Lowdown "The position of NZSO Chief Executive is one of the most important in Aotearoa New Zealand’s orchestral sector and the wider arts community. Therefore, a thorough search here and overseas over several weeks was required to ensure we secured the best possible person. Doing these processes thoroughly is never a fast job."

There's no doubt Feldman's CV is an impressive one. His 14 years at ONB has seen them awarded the coveted 'National Orchestra' title from the French cultural Ministry, become an industry leader in new music performances in France and increased it annual income by NZD $1.8m.  He's also spent 5 years leading the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and was a well-regarded solo bassoonist as well.

Given the importance to the position in this country, The Lowdown asked Walsh if any New Zealanders were considered for the role.

"All qualified applicants were considered, including those from New Zealand. In the end it came down to depth of experience and achievements in a similar role - and yes, this CV was too good to pass up. Marc will make a great contribution to the NZSO and the wider cultural sector in New Zealand."
 
On his appointment, Feldman states “I am truly honoured to be appointed to lead the NZSO. New Zealand’s unique culture and history will be my inspiration for bringing the organisation forward into a rich and exciting future throughout Aotearoa and on the world stage.”  

It's all go for NZSO - with the orchestra’s 2025 concert season beginning in March. 

NZ artists weigh in on Aussie creative controversy

Artists in Aotearoa creatives know how stand up to injustice - and some of the biggest names in the sector are making their voices heard in a show of solidarity with their Trans-Tasman contemporaries.

More than 150 members of the creative community have co-signed a letter to Creative Australia - after the organisation stirred up a hornet's nest and sensationally rescinded the invitation for artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino to represent Australia at the 2026 Venice Biennale only a week after selecting the duo.

The appointment drew attention to some of Sabsabi's previous works from 2006-2007 that featured a Hezbollah leader and video rendering of the 9/11 attacks.

It has seen major upheaval across the Tasman, with resignations and a barrage of criticism over Creative Australia bowing to political pressure.

Among those New Zealanders to put their name to the open letter include the highly decorated Mataaho Collective - winners of the Golden Lion for the Best Participant in the International Exhibition at last year's Venice Biennale, along with fellow artists, producers, writers, curators and sector leaders like Judy Darragh, Rosabel Tan, Pelenakeke Brown, Shannon Te Ao, Ana Iti, Jade Townsend, Ayesha Green, Emily Hartley Skudder, Simon Ward, Dr Melissa Laing, Ruth Buchanan, Sarah Smuts Kennedy, Pip Adam, Van Mei, Hana Pera Aoake, Kiran Dass, Saraid de Silva, Zoe Black, Dr Dina Jezdic, Vanessa Immink, Ane Tonga and curators Dr Linda Tyler.

The open letter states:

"We are a group of arts workers from across Aotearoa New Zealand. We have come together collectively to express our dismay at your recent decision...We call on you to immediately reinstate Sabsabi and Dagostino, and to issue them with a public apology for the distress this process must have needlessly caused them.

"We support and amplify the open letter..signed by all five of the shortlisted teams of artists and curators considered to represent Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale. Their collective show of solidarity and support speaks to the outrage with which this news has been met by the contemporary arts community in Australia. As those artists and curators make clear, Sabsabi and Dagostino were selected by a panel of experts, ‘through a rigorous and professionally independent open-call process. This approach has led to the current selection of Venice Biennale representatives from Australia with the artistic vision and courage that has become respected internationally.’  

"We implore you to consider the impact this decision will have on the integrity of Australian contemporary art in an international context.  In writing to you we recognise the close relationship that connects us across the Pacific, and the impact that artists from both of our countries continue to have on the world stage."

A representative of the group of signatories, curator and writer Kirsty Baker, told The Lowdown "The events of the past week should be incredibly concerning for the entire contemporary arts community - not just within Australia, or here in Aotearoa, but across the globe.

"We all know that building a sustainable career as an artist is challenging, relying on highly contested and precarious sources of funding. Creative Australia's decision to override their own funding selection process, withdrawing their support for Sabsabi and Dagostino a mere week after announcing them, poses serious questions around the power imbalance between artists and those who so often hold power over their careers. 

"That this level of board overreach has played out so publicly signals a worrying lack of disregard for the voices of artists. 

"Sabsabi is a hugely experienced and highly regarded senior artist - the 2026 Venice Biennale should represent a globally significant moment in his career. We need to trust artists like him to do their work. We need to trust that they have the expertise, criticality and experience to pursue their own creative pathways. 

"Creative Australia's about-turn indicates a complete lack of trust and belief in artists - the very people whose work they should be committed to facilitating and championing. As signatories to this letter, we felt it was important to assert a visible expression of the widespread support for Sabsabi and Dagostino that exists across the arts sector in Aotearoa."  

The arts is a major issue in the Australian political world right now, with opposition MP and Shadow Arts Minister Claire Chandler - one of the main agitators of Sabsabi's appointment - calling for a major rethink of how taxpayer money is spent in the arts sector heading into the federal election.

Chandler's quoted as saying “The overwhelming majority of Australians who access the arts in some sort of way aren’t doing so to get a dose of a political viewpoint."

Watch this space, when it comes to our nearest neighbour.

Pride taking strides

It's a busy time in the performing arts world - and it's not always an easy road to traverse.

Auckland Pride festival's month-long creative programme is always worthy of headlines. It deserves better ones than its been getting in the past week.

The number of artists and audiences who feel a sense of belonging, of community, of unity from the events that take place in programmes like Pride should never be underestimated. It takes bravery on more than one level to bare your soul and be open with your creativity.

Auckland Pride is putting more focus on inclusive community building than ever, and there are a number of events in the coming week that champion that. 

The same goes with the New Zealand Fringe Festival in Wellington, also in full swing this month. There are many courageous performers who help show that individual thinking and outside-the-box creativity has a place that deserves to be protected.

Not everyone finds it easy to be themselves - events like Fringe and Pride give more people permission to do so. That's something worth encouraging.

Six figure support

Four creative projects have made the cut for the latest round of the Pan-Asian Screen Collective's (PASC) Episode One Redux Web Series Pilot Programme initiative. 

In an effort to boost the representation of Asian New Zealanders, 35 applications were received from emerging practitioners, then whittled down to four teams chosen for the capacity building programme that will prove tuition and individual mentoring to enhance their storytelling and production skills, up to $20,000 for series development expenses to write a pilot and create a series pitchdeck, as well as up to $95,000 for the production of the pilot episode for their web series.

Florence Duxfield, Sinead Lau and Jaimee Poipoi were successful in their project pitch for Duel Weddings - they told The Lowdown that it's "a tremendous vote of confidence in not only our story, but our capacity as filmmakers. To be mentored through such a significant step-up in our careers is a rare opportunity that we're grateful to have earned."

The team behind Strange Brew - Pulkit Arora, Matilda Boese-Wong and Carrisse Uta’i - shared “We’re excited and grateful to have such robust support for our project, and proud to be part of such a potent catalyst for Asian-led storytelling in Aotearoa.”

Arts Laureate Ahi Karunaharan is stepping out of the theatre into the screen, combing with Shaan Kesha, Mayen Mehta, Jimena Murray and Rina Patel to make Gujju Boys, set in 1970s Ōtāhuhu. 

They told The Lowdown "Receiving this fund will provide our team with the resources to bring Gujju Boys to life, enabling us to represent the South Asian diaspora in a nuanced way whilst empowering us as emerging creatives to make our mark in the screen industry. The opportunity to collaborate with a diverse range of creatives will facilitate growth amongst our team and no doubt set a foundation for future projects.”

Anna Canton, Alex Farley, Shreya Geijji and Angeline Loo have also been given the green light for their project, Five Stages.

Shuchi Kothari, creator & convenor Episode One Redux states “This is my second time convening Episode One and I’m beyond impressed by the height of talent and the depth of lived experiences of Pan-Asian practitioners in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since the issue of representation is an issue of production, Ep1 Redux is uniquely poised to reflect Aotearoa back to itself.”

Change in the capital

Two stalwarts of the Wellington art gallery community are preparing for their final trio of exhibitions before handing over the reins.

Jenny Neligan and Penney Moir - owners of Bowen Galleries  - are leaving their current roles at the capital creative institution, with staff member Helena Walker taking ownership at the start of April.

Neligan opened the gallery in 1981, with Moir coming on board in 2005. Neligan notes "When you get to this age, and you’ve been doing a job like this for 43 years, (stepping down) is on your mind, although it came a little sooner than I’d anticipated. I had a thought some years ago that I would know when the right time was, and sure enough, that happened. 

"One day I overheard someone in the gallery ask Helena what she liked best about working for Bowen Galleries, and without hesitation she said, 'the artists'. In my head I said, 'right, that’s a really good sign'.

And so I thought actually, this is the right time. If we don’t do this now, if we don’t give Helena more responsibility, we’re going to lose her. I talked to Penney, and she agreed it was a good idea."

What makes Helena the right person to take over from you?

On Walker's credentials, she states "I think she’s very well equipped to face all the challenges that come with running a dealer gallery. It’s been amazing working with Helena beside me. She came in like a force, with heaps of experience. She has a really rich knowledge of art – art history, artworks, artists."

Neligan muses "The job has changed enormously from 1981. Aside from anything, I didn’t know what I was doing at the beginning, apart from the practical task of setting up and showing an exhibition. There was a steep learning curve. In those days we used to do fortnightly shows – that kept us busy. But in between, once the shows were up and running, there was a lot of smoking and chatting.

"One of the biggest changes is the volume of work that the job now involves – with all the technology that’s available to us, we just do so much more for art and artists, but there are more artists than ever before. I’ve heard, especially in the last couple of years, other businesses in this difficult economic climate talking about how they’ve never had so many problems to solve.

"The thing I’ve realised is sometimes the arts can feel – or we’re sometimes made to feel – like its an indulgence, rather than a necessity. But really, if you think of our daily lives and our well-being, the arts are really important. One of the things I’m proud of is the work we’ve created for other people, through one, small, business. That’s been terribly important to me."  

Neligan is putting together a series of exhibitions that reflect the early days and the essence of Bowen Galleries. 

When Walker takes over on 1 April, Neligan will be by her side - but with the roles reversed. She's going to stay on as a part-time gallery assistant, "to help with the transition for the next three months, and beyond, all going well."

Rā whānau!

Wairau Māori Art Gallery celebrates its third birthday today (Thursday 20 February) and has done a magnificent job in championing Māori art and creativity. 

It was a bold and necessary step in the Aotearoa art space - becoming the world’s first dedicated Māori Public Art Gallery. Under the guidance of Director Larissa McMillan and nestled into the impressive Hundertwasser Art Centre, Wairau has quickly become established as a creative cornerstone in Whangārei, showcasing a number of Māori artists and curators. 

It's an organisation that has some incredible minds involved in it. Take a look at its board and it's hard not to be impressed. Chaired by Elizabeth Ellis, some of the most respected names in nga toi Māori sit around the table like Nigel Borell, Lisa Reihana, Karl Chitham and Tim Melville.

While there is much division in this country, it's important to have creative centrepoints like Wairau Māori Art Gallery to help keep hearts and minds open for discussion.