Year 12 Te Kura o Tititea Mt Aspiring College (MAC) student Harrison Eastwood has been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Kurano Music Event Grant.

Established this year by 24-year-old multi-award-winning musician Rakuto Kurano, the grant offers a unique opportunity for a MAC student to plan and present their own music event, supported by $400 in funding and mentoring by Rakuto.

Rakuto visits Wānaka frequently as the artist-in-residence at the Aspiring Lifestyle Village and as artistic director of the Magic Carpet Music Trust, a charitable trust he co-founded with local music patron Lyn Milne, MNZM.

Read more: Opening up the world of music: Lyn Milne, MNZM

Harrison said the grant was an awesome opportunity and he was excited to see how his chosen event would play out.

“My event will feature the band I am in, ‘Superficial', and we plan to play a small ticketed concert at Rhyme x Reason Brewery,” he said.

"We think it will be a really fun way to put our band out into the Wānaka community, and we plan on having another band support us and play some tunes too.” 

Harrison said the music course at MAC had helped him rekindle his passion for music and the arts. 

“Having access to all of the equipment and connections I need to jumpstart myself into the world of music is super cool. Since I began taking music at MAC, I have started practising all of the instruments I love, finding new music, and making new friends. 

“I'm thinking about pursuing something in the music industry in the future and I definitely give MAC a lot of credit for that, especially the never-ending support of our head of music Mr Doyle.”

Rakuto Kurano PHOTO: Heather Joy Milne

This year’s grant selection committee included Kurano, Lyn Milne, and Taylor Williams (Karen Walker International general manager retail and sales).

Rakuto developed an interest in event management during his first year at the University of Canterbury, when he realised that musicians can’t simply focus on practising their instruments and wait for opportunities to come their way.

“With this in mind, I took the initiative to organise my own events and concert tours and it’s the reason I have established the grant,” he said.

The grant is part of a trio of music awards he has launched this year to encourage musical talent at MAC.

The others (the Kurano Composition Award and Kurano Musical Performance Award) recognise exceptional skills in composition and performance respectively.