Dunedin council project connects musicians with rehearsal spaces

Dunedin City Council is helping to plug local musicians into a network of community facilities to boost opportunities to rehearse.

The Noisy! Spaces! project currently includes 15 venues in and around Ōtepoti Dunedin. These range from spaces in the heart of the city to small halls on the Otago Peninsula as well as semi-rural facilities. Details of each space are featured on a booklet that includes a map, as well as on the Council’s website.

The Council says Noisy! Spaces! aims to cater to a range of different rehearsal needs, from newly formed bands looking for a space to practise regularly to community choirs needing a place to prepare for an upcoming concert.

Council’s Ara Toi Creative Partnerships team, which is leading the initiative, has worked with a range of community groups, sporting clubs and other organisations to arrive at an extensive list of places in which to practise.

“It has been wonderful to work with so many community groups and clubs. It’s a win-win arrangement – the venue owners have a way of bolstering their coffers, while musicians find more doors being opened to them,” said Creative Partnerships Advisor, Nick Tipa.

“Building these connections to bolster our local music ecosystem is a key element of the Ōtepoti Live Music Action Plan.

“There are some really interesting spaces, ranging from venues in South Dunedin to semi-rural facilities, including a hall on the Otago Peninsula where The Chills once played.

“One of the most interesting spaces is the Gasworks Museum. A unique industrial heritage site and one of a few preserved gasworks museums in the world, the museum has become a hub for community activities in recent years and is now available for musicians to use as a rehearsal space.”

Visit: dunedin.govt.nz/noisy-spaces.