Kia ora!Last year I frantically fundraised to cover the costs of getting back to New York City to complete a graduate diploma in music composition at my dream music school - the Mannes School of Music. In the past year I have written for orchestra, chamber ensembles, film projects, solo projects and ventured into electronic music. None of this would have been possible without your donations which helped me cover the initial costs of relocating back to this crazy city. Its been just under a year since this fundraising campaign and I have completed the first year of my studies! I have one more year to go and will be graduating in May 2027. I wanted to write to you - my donors - to express my thanks at the halfway mark. Your donations made my dream possible and haven't been forgotten!I have several projects on the horizon with various artists from different disciplines. If you would like updates on that work make sure to follow me on social media @leahjanemusic or check out my website www.leahjanemusic.com You'll be able to see some of the work your donations helped me make on my YouTube account @leahjanemusic or Bandcamp! If you want to be in touch email me at leahjmthomas@gmail.com Thank you again for your generosity and wishing you all the best for the rest of 2026! Much love and gratitude, Leah Jane x

Kia ora!!In 2023, a very ambitious group of early-career artists from Pōneke gathered to record an original album written by talented composer Arjuna Oakes. We wrote and recorded this project in a very short space of time thanks to the funding of the Wellington City Council and your donations!! Its been almost three years since we recorded the project but we are happy to announce that thanks to recent CNZ Early Career Funding, we will now be able to release it. So much has happened in the past three years for the artists involved in this project - many are scattered across several different countries and we can't wait to tell the story of the album and the years that have passed in our release.  We wanted to get in touch with our donors who helped make the recording a reality to let you know that your donations made a huge difference and that the project you supported will be soon out in the world. To follow the release follow us on social media @galleryorchestra @arjunaoakes @leahjanemusic We also have websites: www.arjunaoakes.comwww.leahjanemusic.com  Thank you again for your donation it hasn't been forgotten. If you would like to be in touch please email us at galleryorchestra@gmail.com  Best wishes, Leah, Arjuna and the Gallery Orchestra whānau

We love you all for helping us achieve our goal. We can now afford lighting, tiered seating and more for our show. We truly couldn't have done it without your support. We are 3 weeks away from Celeste, so don't forget to get your tickets for the 9th & 10th of July at the Roy Stokes Hall and see what you helped us create! Thanks for being an essential part of our show. 

Hello Canada! HOMECOMING has been selected for the Muskoka Queer Film Festival in Ontario in July, and will be our North American Premiere! Just north of Toronto, this festival is in its 7th year and features stories that demonstrate the beauty and spirit of lesbian, gay, bi and trans life, culture, and relationships.  We are proud to take part in a festival that is bringing LGBTQ+ culture and community to the Muskoka region thanks to Muskoka Pride, Theatre Muskoka and Sanctuary Studios Inc. 21 July 7pm at Rene M Caisse TheatreTickets at the link below:https://ci.ovationtix.com/36788/production/1272064?performanceId=11794219

https://youtube.com/shorts/73P7ocjLvDs?si=KN1JScivbjZg3GE-We're 3 and a half weeks away before our campaign ends and we're making great progress!!  Huge shout out to our current sponsors and Champions of E OLA MAU - thank you!!💪👏👏If you haven't donated yet, consider supporting with:🔥 A $5 donation🔥Share this post or our video with 3 of your contacts and encourage them to get behind us too!!  🔥Tag a local business or organization that should support this project.  We'd love to chat with them.Time is of the essence!!  This is an all or nothing campaign that will only go ahead if we reach our target🎯  Donate today and share the word, thank you! 

We’re writing ahead of today’s midnight deadline with good news: together we have raised $92,370 (and counting!). You blew the initial $80k target out of the water and have surpassed the $90k stretch goal too – with 12 hours left to give. Our immense gratitude to the 223 generous donors who have brought this campaign home, and to everyone who has shared and offered tautoko, IRL and online.This is your final 50/50 update, and our community’s final chance to share and give. For makers and Objectspace! Thank you. Ngā mihi nui. 

We are beyond excited and grateful to announce that we have surpassed our target of $15,000! As our gallery attendant would say; SOLD! We are completely blown away by your generosity and could not be more appreciative. Thanks to the support of our community, our UK premiere will have the financial backing it needs to be a success. We have two more days left of our campaign, and it’s not too late to donate. If you or someone you know planned on contributing, it’s still possible! Any extra funds raised will go towards marketing and advertising costs in Edinburgh, increasing opportunities for building audiences in the UK while also reducing our team's reliance on box office sales for covering baseline costs.  Thank you all once again, your support means the world to us.Katie, Georgie, Bronnie, and the How to Art team x 

Kia ora to our lovely Boosters,Well, here we are. The campaign has closed and thanks to your donations and sharing the campaign around, we have met our target.Thank you for making local theatre in Auckland more accessible for a broader sweep of the community. What do you need to know going forward from here?For more about what we're up to in the lead up and during the production season, you'll want to have a look over here: https://www.facebook.com/PearangiCreative or here: https://www.instagram.com/pearangicreative/For more about the show, including bookings, come here: https://pumphouse.co.nz/whats-on/show/old-macdonalds-farm/  And again, thank you for making this little dream of ours a reality.Arohanui, Claire

In the midst of intensive fundraising and rehearsals for their upcoming tour to the International Music Festival in Sydney this July, the NIU Choir has been absolutely sweeping the regional competition circuit!Here is a look at what our incredibly talented singers have achieved over the last few weeks:Wellington Regional Young Singers in Harmony Barbershop Competition (May 26th)🥇 1st Place: Mixed Voices Chorus qualifying for Nationals in September🥇🥈 1st & 2nd Place: Mixed QuartetsWellington Regional Big Sing Competition (June 10th)🏆 The Festival Cup (Crowd Favourite!)🎹 Best Student Accompanist - Sam Talamaivao👑 Minime Pasifika Song Award Winners of 2026Thank You For Your Support!Every dollar raised helps get these champions to Sydney. We are so incredibly proud of their hard work, dedication, and beautiful harmonies. Let's keep this momentum going—please share our page and help us reach our final goal!    

Kia ora Boosted backers!This is the final update before the campaign closes, so I'm going to rattle off some names and bios at you quicksmart! Meet the rest of the team who are helping put together Old MacDonald's Farm.Our set and tech designer, Matt Goldsbro'Matt is a full-time theatre technician who works across New Zealand, supporting a wide range of productions, venues, and events. With experience in lighting, sound, staging, and production operations, he has worked with theatres, festivals and touring productions to present professional and high-quality events. Matt is the founder of Goldsbro' Productions, where he combines his technical expertise with a passion for supporting local theatre and creating opportunities for emerging artists. Matt is excited to be a part of Old McDonald’s Farm as Set Designer and Technical Designer at his home venue of The PumpHouse Theatre. Our costume designer, Aaria Harrison-SparkeAaria Harrison-Sparke (Waikato Tainui, Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi) is a Taamaki based performer and production designer with a love for fantasy and period shows and costuming. Costuming Old McDonald’s Farm is a challenging project that she is tackling by utilising many mediums, thinking outside the box, and having fun with it! She is most excited to see how all of the costumes and characters come together on stage. Also joining us are Rhiannon Hadlow as Stage Manager and Kierron Diaz-Campbell as Props Designer. And besides them, there are so many people who have piled in to help us out as we get this show audience-ready, like our photographer Matthew Diesch, and all the PumpHouse team who have been a huge help with all the ins and outs.It's almost time to close out this campaign! Thank you so much for getting us to this point. Stay tuned tomorrow for our final sign off before the show.Ka kite!