Lilburn Lecture

Music critic and commentator, Elizabeth Kerr speaks about the role of music critic in the Aotearoa arts ecosystem. She recalls feisty New Zealand music writers from last century, outlines her own… Read more Video, Audio

Award-winning writer, musician, and broadcaster Nick Bollinger delves into diverse corners of Aotearoa's musical past and present to investigate what it is that differentiates New Zealand pop music… Read more Video, Audio

For his 2022 Lilburn Lecture, composer and Arts Laureate Ross Harris dove deep into his own musical past, sharing colourful snapshots from his life and career. Read more Audio

'Fame without fortune is a burden for any performer’. In the 2020 Lilburn Lecture, Karyn Hay explores the realities of an artist's life in NZ. Read more Audio, Gallery

In 'Breath of the Birds' Dame Gillian Whitehead discusses the origin of taonga puoro, their revival, and how she has used traditional Māori musical instruments in her compositions. Read more Audio, Gallery

How much has changed for New Zealand's female composers in the 125 years since women's suffrage? In the 2018 Lilburn Lecture, acclaimed composer Eve de Castro-Robinson reflects on her own journey as a… Read more Audio, Gallery

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal tells the story of his journey as a bicultural composer in Aotearoa New Zealand in 'Searching for Voice, Searching for Reo'. Read more Audio

'Prosaic Notes from an Unwritten Journal': Composer Jenny McLeod considers Lilburn’s thoughts on tradition and language, and continues with her own personal reflections, in illustrated verse.

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Marking the 100th anniversary of Lilburn's birth, music historian and 2015 Lilburn Research Fellow Chris Bourke discusses the place of local popular music in New Zealand. He considers the ideas… Read more Audio

Dr William Dart gives the 2014 Lilburn Lecture before an audience in Victoria University's Adam Concert Room. His subject, Signatures and Footprints. Read more Audio

Philip Norman delivers the inaugural Lilburn Lecture before an audience in Victoria University's Hunter Council Chamber. His subject, Plato's Cave: The Realities of Composing in New Zealand. Read more Audio