Thousands of young musicians from schools across the country will converge on Te Whanganui a Tara from 21-25 September, for MEFA – the MusicWorks Ensemble Festival Aotearoa, a home-grown national festival that is reshaping what a school music festival can be.

Across the five days Wellington will be filled with young performers representing their schools in everything from orchestras, concert and symphonic bands and choirs to jazz big bands, combos, chamber groups and smaller instrumental ensembles.

Organisers say that while performance and competition are an important part of MEFA, winning is not the festival’s only measure of success. MEFA has built its identity around a different idea – that a national festival should not only recognise the strongest school ensembles, but help create the next generation of confident, independent New Zealand musicians through education based activity and social connection.

That means placing developing groups alongside accomplished ensembles and surrounding performances with more than 80 workshops, mentoring sessions, massed ensemble experiences, specialist classes and opportunities to hear and work alongside leading professional musicians and educators.