Cambridge Town Hall has a great acoustic for chamber music. Photo: Jane Curry
When Simon Brew left Wellington to take up the role of managing the Cambridge Town Hall, some of his friends wondered what he was doing.
He had a steady job with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, based in the country's cultural capital. Would he feel at home in the heart of dairy country?
But the classical saxophonist still recalls the advice he got as a music student in The Netherlands: find yourself a corner of the world, and make it work for you.
It's one of the reasons he came home to New Zealand, and it was behind his leap of faith to return to the part of country where he was raised.
Built in 1909, the Cambridge Town Hall has a beautiful acoustic well suited to classical music. Even better for Brew, he's found the district has plenty excellent musicians wanting to use it.
This week, Brew is organising a concert to raise money for the ongoing maintenance of the venue.
Simon Brew: turns out he's back in his element. Photo: Supplied
"Simon Brew and friends" is on 11 September in the Cambridge Town Hall, from 7pm.
Brew spoke to RNZ Concert about the concert, and his upcoming performances at this month's Martinborough Music Festival.
He talked about his plans to get more classical musicians to perform in Cambridge, and also about the joys of being closer to his extended family - Brew spent his childhood in the city of Hamilton, just up the road.
