Hermione Johnson (AKL) with Reuben Derrick // Aonachd (Noel Meek & Jonty O'Connor) in a special pop-up 03 Session at The Gym (The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora)

Hermione Johnson is a pianist and composer from Auckland, New Zealand. Her performances center largely on extended and prepared piano techniques, focusing on the timbral qualities of the instrument, and drawing out a range of voices with contrasting patterns and phrases in different registers. Her prime focus is free improvisation, and with this she has been a significant force in the New Zealand experimental music scene. Her compositional practice is based in hand written graphic scores.

Reuben Derrick grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he works as a saxophonist, clarinettist, sonic artist and composer, active in New Zealand and Australian exploratory music communities. In addition to reeds he plays keyboards and found objects. His influences are eclectic. His doctoral dissertation ‘Acoustic illuminations: recorded space as soundscape composition’ (2014) draws upon field recording and improvisation. This work featured locations in New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka. His soundscape works have been awarded the Lilburn Prize for Composition three times. Ongoing projects include punk-jazz collective 'Poltroon', sound design and music with Rory Dalley, for Free Theatre (recently Alice, The Black Rider and Frankenstein) , as well as multi-disciplinary collaborations with dance (Movement Art Practice and Kyungmi Kim), sculpture, circo-arts, poetry and film.

Noel Meek is an improvising musician from Ōtautahi (Christchurch), New Zealand, working with electronic, electroacoustic and found instruments. His output has been described as “sheer joy . . . unexpectedly bottled in analogue gizmo rituals.” (The Wire), “chaotically playful noise music,” (The Quietus) and “pretty whacked,” by Byron Coley. He has played and recorded with the likes of Sun Araw, Lasse Marhaug, Richard Youngs, Mette Rasmussen, Patrick Shiroishi, Roger Turner, Neil Campbell, Alexander Tucker, Tetuzi Akiyama and Bruce Russell.

In the 15 years since Jonty O’Connor first sat down at a drum kit, he’s earned a reputation as one of Christchurch’s most sought-after drummers. His reputation as a hard worker with a skilled ear has seen him perform and record for the likes of Scribe, Kane Strang, Terrible Sons, Nakey, Finn Andrews, Emily Fairlight, Delaney Davidson, Barry Saunders, Zen Mantra, and The Shifting Sands among others. He has also opened for international acts INXS, Slash, Anvil and Drab Majesty.

03 SESSIONS // Original and improvised music every Thursday

$20 General Admission
$15 03 Members
$15 Students
$10 Student Members

Presale via Humanitix or cash/EFTPOS on the door