Meet our Staff

David Sidwell

Programme Manager
Commercial Music & Master of Arts

Personal Statement

The best aspects of the degree programme are being able to obtain a degree in a specialist area that you are passionate about. Media Arts offers an environment where you can study and collaborate with others who are also passionate about their particular areas of study. Most importantly is the intermedia aspect of the degree that gives you the ability to study in other disciplines under the Media Arts umbrella.

I love working with students who want to be here and who are each gifted and talented in a wide range of different musical areas. Another exciting aspect of working in the School of Media Arts is working with such a talented department of tutors/lecturers - all professional 'artists' in their own right who are willing to share their skills and talents with students.

Media Arts has an amazing artistic atmosphere. Whether a student is into performance, production engineering, composition, songwriting, music for film, or music for the digital media there is a place for you. It is an exciting place to study.

Theatre Director, musical director, orchestrator/arranger, pianist, lecturer, David has some 40 years involvement in music and theatre. Working professionally with theatre groups both in New Zealand and Australia. Future projects include artistic direction of the 40th anniversary production of Hair - the tribal love rock musical and Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS. Following on from the critically acclaimed Hamilton season of The Rocky Horror Show, David will direct a Wellington production in November 2008.

Recently returning from a research trip to Russia, in collaboration with Film Maker John Mandelberg, David is working on new compositional work inspired by the neurological based condition Synaesthesia.