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Gareth is Farr Ahead of the Rest - Page 2

© Anne-Marie de Bruin

But because New Zealand is smaller, do you think that there is more of a community atmosphere in the music scene and that things could be easier in that sense?

"The good side of it is that we've got such a small amount of people in the industry here, that it's actually quite easy to get things done. In the States I knew a lot of people my age that were studying who had never ever had a piece performed by orchestra or had never played in an orchestra - all the things that I basically took for granted back here. It's quite easy to get a piece played by orchestra in New Zealand sooner or later, but it's something that most American students just dream of happening one day in their life. The competition in a country that size is fierce, it's absolutely terrifying and I think it makes them a lot tougher there and we get a bit complacent here."

So, then how different was studying overseas to studying at the University of Auckland School of Music?

"I studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and it was a life-changing experience really. I think everyone, with their first experience overseas, whether it's studying or just experiencing the world, comes back with a whole different outlook on life. I mean experiencing all the things I was talking about before, with the competition and everything, I came back a lot more serious about my art but also I came back with a lot of knowledge about what was possible, where I could perhaps go with it, so it was a good experience. And, to compare that to Auckland, I'd say Auckland was basically three years of discovering what music was and Eastman was discovering what the world was..."

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