Christchurch Folk Music Club

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Graham Wardrop

28 September 2025

Members $20
Non Members $25
Students (with ID) $5

Sharing songs, creativity and exceptional musicianship. Supporting Graham’s concert will be Alex Kilday. Graham has been playing guitar and singing professionally for over fifty years. He mainly plays as a soloist, but he has also accompanied many artists and played in countless bands. Recently, he has performed with several orchestras around the country. His talent and passion for music are evident through his extensive experience as a professional fingerstyle guitarist. His versatility in various music genres has allowed him to work with a diverse range of artists and to perform in concerts and festivals around New Zealand and overseas. Highlights: Playing alongside Tommy Emmanuel, Martin Taylor, Michael Fix, Gray Bartlett and many other international artists; 11 tours of concerts and festivals in Canada, 2 tours in the UK. Countless tours in Australia, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and around Aotearoa New Zealand. Backing Slim Dusty, Anne Kirkpatrick, Suzanne Lynch. Opening shows for Gerry and the Pacemakers, Michael Crawford, Vanessa Mae, Icehouse… the list goes on. And, of course playing concerts and gigs with Elizabeth Braggins, Rosa Shiels, Tom Rainey and many other great musicians. It has been a great honour to be invited to play concerts of original music. With seven albums of his compositions having been released on CD and over 80 streaming sites, it’s a thrill to be asked to play a concert of original music at the Christchurch Folk Club. Graham is a unique and notable musician, songwriter and composer in New Zealand and beyond. See Rosa Shiel’s excellent article about Graham here: Alex Kilday is a guitarist from Christchurch. While studying a Bachelor of Music Arts from Jazz School (ARA), he fell in love with fingerstyle acoustic guitar and decided to become a soloist. Alex plays various styles but is most comfortable playing jazz and country. He recently founded ‘Good Guitars Christchurch’ – a charitable organisation providing instruments and tuition to those who don’t have access to it, with the goal of giving everyone the chance to make music. Alex regularly performs around Christchurch and is an enthusiastic tutor as well as a guitar technician.

Doors open 7pm. Performance starts at 7.30pm,

VENUE: Irish Society Hall, 29 Domain Terrace, Spreydon The hall is situated up the long driveway, directly next to Domain Park, and there is plenty of well-lit off-street parking..

How do I get tickets to concerts?

In advance: Book your tickets online. Select the concert you wish to attend and click on the link to book your ticket.
On the day: Purchase tickets at the venue from 7:15pm on the day of the concert if not sold out prior.

PLEASE BRING CASH For: Tea, coffee, biscuits and cake available during the break and the club raffle. Bar facilities for cold refreshments throughout the night, Eftpos available for purchases only, no cash-out facility.
Folk Club and Irish Society members please remember to bring your membership card for licensing purposes. Non-members sign in at the bar if making purchases.

Blair Morgan & Jessie Shanks

2 August 2026

Russell Gillies – The Night of the Melomaniacs

9 August 2026
Russell Gillies is leading this group of passionate music lovers.
Expect to see and hear Lynne Hurley, Sophia Bidwell, Simon Musgrave and David Evison, all accomplished musicians based in Otautahi.

Sacred Harp Singing Workshop

16 August 2026
This workshop will briefly cover the history of the Sacred Harp tradition, as well as how the tradition is currently observed through weekly and annual singings.

Al Park

23 August 2026
Lyttelton based musician, Al Park, is celebrating his fifieth year of strumming, singing and playing his music around the Canterbury region.

Southriver

6 September 2026
Pairing the heartfelt lyrics of Sarah August with the slick skills of Brendan Schenk, these two have been performing and writing together since 2021 creating a repertoire of troubled tunes for troubled times.

Saffron Sisters

20 September 2026
The three voices of the The Saffron Sisters – Kristina Godfrey, Mary Ruston and Frances Caldwell – blend in three-part acapella harmonies, and frequent accompaniment by Mary on the keyboard and Kristina’s percussion.

Kameleon

30 August 2026
With a new name, new energy, and some great new material, Kameleon are ready to share their love of music with a patiently waiting world.

Port Hillbillies

27 September 2026
Emerging from the shadows of the Port Hills, Christchurch. One American, Justin Rogers on mandolin, guitar and vocals, one Aussie Gary Elford on guitar, acoustic bass and vocals. They meet up with a six-toed Kiwi singer, banjo and guitar player Steve Stern to share their love of Bluegrass, Old Time and Americana music.

Yujing Cui

4 October 2026
Originally from China, now settled in Christchurch / Ōtautahi, Yujing presents a musical journey between East and West, between traditional and modern, between the familiar and the faraway.

Liz Braggins

11 October 2026
‘Liz Braggins’ has been a familiar name on the Christchurch music scene. She has a unique style developed from many years of immersion in the music industry. Her highly original versions of well-known songs are an eclectic mix of genres highlighting her background in most musical styles.

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