Wānaka resident Lynette (Lyn) Milne has been appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for service to the arts in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours List.

Lyn’s work helping to advance the careers of young classical musicians has spanned many decades and has included everything from organising performances and national concert tours to helping establish long-standing music scholarship programmes.

Her appreciation for classical music - and a desire to provide opportunities for the deserving musicians - fuels Lyn’s work.

“For me it’s about giving these young kids opportunities,” she told the Wānaka App. “We've got the talent, but we just haven't got enough opportunities for them.”

“Any doors that we open for these New Zealand musicians, they're just so grateful - and they give more than they get.” 

Lyn and her husband Keith were living in London in the late 1970s when her passion was first sparked.

Lyn and her husband, Keith.

She was working at the Royal Over-Seas League, a non-governmental organisation with an arts division that supports the career development of artists in a range of disciplines, including music. 

“The musicians do a lot of training, and then they step out into the world, and it's daunting for them,” she said. “They needed CDs; they needed performance opportunities; they needed guidance; and that was very much what the [League] offered.”

“So it was quite a revelation for me to see.”

During that time Lyn developed a passion for classical music - and she wants more New Zealanders to give the genre a chance.

“I don't want Kiwis to be intimidated by it. I think it's a mistake, because it's a lot of fun,” she said. 

After being immersed in the Royal Over-Seas League for five years, she went on to have other adventures in Europe, but upon her return to New Zealand, Lyn got a call from the Royal Over-Seas League asking her to become their New Zealand director.

The first thing she did was organise for some young musicians to perform at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“And it was so easy. I just found these amazing young musicians and they all just said ‘yes, yes, yes’. And all the delegates from overseas absolutely loved having them, and the musicians loved it.

“That kicked me off - I realised then that these young musicians, like the ones in the UK, they want to be seen, they want to be performing and they want to be giving. This is what they've trained for. 

“So my 25 years in that role was kicked off with that thought in mind.”

While she was working for Royal Over-Seas League in New Zealand, Lyn received a phone call from Barrie Petman, a successful Yorkshire entrepreneur.

“He indicated to me that he wanted to help young New Zealand musicians,” Lyn said. “Now that's a pretty amazing phone call to get.”

Lyn and Keith came up with three proposals, all of which Barrie accepted, and which they went on to help establish and run. 

These include the Pettman National Junior Academy of Music (a music scholarship that provides extensive training, performance opportunities and competition preparation); the ROSL-Pettman Chamber Music Scholarship (which provides one chamber ensemble each year with a trip to the United Kingdom to experience professional music life and explore possibilities for postgraduate study); and the Pettman DARE scholarship (a unique nine-month programme of practical experience and academic development).

“They are still running now, helping our young musicians get more experience, more exposure and even international experience for some of them,” Lyn said.

“Barrie Pettman opened a huge door for many of them and they grasped the opportunity and blossomed.”

Lyn’s passion has not waned with time: When she and Keith made the decision to move from Canterbury to Wānaka a couple of years ago, she quickly established an artist in residence programme at the Aspiring Lifestyle Village.

And just last year she launched the Magic Carpet Music Trust with musician Rakuto Kurano, which has already delivered 28 concerts in rural communities across New Zealand with young musicians performing.

“Sometimes they've never ever toured before,” Lyn said. “And that's what we're about. Really getting them out of the rehearsal room onto the stage and getting them touring. Showing them what can happen for them.”

Lyn said she wants to see more support for classical musicians from both benefactors and audiences in New Zealand.

They’re the most humble, talented, gifted people - there aren’t enough superlatives to describe these musicians to me,” she said.

“With their music they open up our worlds, but we have to help open up our worlds for them too.”

PHOTOS: Supplied