Graham Wardrop In Concert

Featuring original songs and favourite tunes from almost 50 years of exploring his passion for the guitar.
Sunday, 8 August, 2.00pm
$10.00, Children by koha

Graham Wardrop

Graham has been acclaimed as New Zealand's finest finger style guitarist. After thirty years in the professional arena, he is regularly called upon to give concert performances, to play on television and studio recording sessions, to hold workshops in advanced fingerstyle techniques for steel string guitar, along with providing atmospheric music in sophisticated dining situations.

Graham has performed solo and alongside some of the world's finest musicians, dazzling audiences at countless festivals, concerts and corporate functions.

He has toured with Australia's Slim Dusty and Anne Kirkpatrick and New Zealand's Billy T. James. He's opened shows for Manhattan Transfer, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Vanessa-Mae, Michael Crawford, Joshua Kadison, Icehouse and Jasper Carrot. He's played alongside Tommy Emmanuel and Gray Bartlett, and played on shows with Martin Taylor, Leo Kottke and Michael Fix. His warm stage manner puts an audience at ease while he enthralls them with his mastery of a huge range of guitar styles.

Not only does Graham maintain a busy performance schedule, but he also handcrafts the instruments on which he performs.

His ambition 'to play music I have written on instruments I have built' reached fruition with the recording of his CD 'Signature'. Steel string guitar, electric and bass guitars, lap-steel, 12-string soprano guitar and mountain dulcimer all feature on this album.

The past few years have been busy with travel to many destinations around New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Asia, especially Hong Kong, to play to a wide range of audiences. Most of the time he plays solo, but occasionally Graham works with different artists in various combinations - he's even featured as a soloist with orchestras from time to time.

"I don't use backing tracks, midi files, sequencers or karaoke backings in my solo shows - I leave that to everyone else. Every note that you hear, I have played. I think it's important to state this fact these days. A comment I get time and again, always in a very relieved tone, is 'It's so good to hear an instrument actually being played!'"

Graham is a musician of great versatility. His love of beauty, harmony and precision culminates in his richness of sound and a unique style of performance.

recent highlights - how do I fit in all the highlights? So, so many! Here are a few…

  • shows in Hong Kong playing with Suzanne Lynch ( ex 'Chicks', ex Cat Stevens backing vocalist ) and keyboard whiz Steve Larkins
  • solo shows in Hong Kong at beautiful venues such as the Hong Kong Country Club and Cathay Pacific's Headland Hotel
  • shows in Guangzhou, China with Gray Bartlett
  • concerts in Papua New Guinea, both solo and in duo with Elizabeth Braggins.
  • due to popular demand, a return to Hong Kong to play New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 'Lunch on the Lawn' at the exclusive Hong Kong Country Club.
  • engineering and playing various guitars on Martin Curtis' CD 'Beyond a Climber's Moon'; engineering and playing various guitars on Mark Apperley's CD 'Standing at the Door'; playing acoustic guitar on Radha Sahar's CD 'A Pace of Grace'; playing various guitar parts on Sheryl Higgs' CD 'Don't You Think'
  • musical director of the Kiwi Club Ball in Papua New Guinea, plus various solo concerts around PNG
  • opening the show for Manhattan Transfer in Christchurch and Wellington
  • reunion gig with the Anne Kirkpatrick Band in Sydney
  • feature spot at the 'Waipara Wine and Food Celebration'
  • concert spot with good friend Martin Curtis in Wanaka's inaugural 'Festival of Colour'
  • concerts at the Haven Amphitheatre, Castlecrag, Sydney.
  • The 30th Cardrona Folk Festival.
  • April '06: fantastic concert tour around NZ with Canadian folk singing, songwrting legend Valdy, culminating over Easter in a huge weekend of music at the Canterbury Family Music Festival.
  • 'Songs of the Salish Sea' tour. The Salish Sea includes the Gulf Islands between the mainland coast of Canada and Vancouver Island. Graham toured this area in May '06 with Valdy and Kathy Stack, playing ten islands in twelve nights. Musically the combination was a great success and many concert attendees have expressed a strong interest in Graham returning to the area to play more concerts. The sympatico between Graham and Valdy is a rare and beautiful thing - opposite ends of the Pacific Ocean are linked musically and standing ovations have been the standard response. Add Kathy Stack and her great original songs to the equation and the blend is irresistible. This tour has been a huge highlight in Graham's career.