Jennie Macandrew

Painist Jennie Macandrew accompanied singers and instrumentalists, notably the violinist Edith Whitelaw, and performed as a soloist with local orchestras. She was official accompanist to the competitions society in Gisborne for some years from 1913, and toured New Zealand for five months as accompanist to the tenor Philip Newbury. She was also a pianist at Auckland cinemas, and gave radio broadcasts.

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Mary Manson Dreaver

In 1941, she won the Waitematā seat in a by-election, becoming the third woman to enter the New Zealand Parliament. Her particular triumph there was to introduce the Women Jurors Bill, which became law in 1942.

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Doris Gertrude Sheppard

For more than two decades she gave pleasure to thousands of radio listeners with her eclectic and intelligently planned radio recitals, but her most important contribution to her adopted country was as the first woman to gain a measure of national repute as a composer. By writing successfully for symphony orchestra she effectively dispelled the myth that women could only produce small-scale works for drawing-room performance. Together with the younger Dorothea Franchi and Dorothy Freed, she led the way for many other women who have made their mark as composers in New Zealand since the mid 1960s.

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Lera Auerbach

One of the most widely performed composers of the new generation, Lera Auerbach continues the great tradition of pianist-composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Auerbach’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by a wide array of artists, orchestras and ballet companies.

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Shirley Horn

Jazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn was one of the leading jazz musicians of her generation. With her distinctive voice and the slow pace of her music, Horn had a long and storied career which touched both national and international audiences.

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Nina Simone

“The High Priestess of Soul,” Nina Simone was a singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Mostly known as a jazz singer, her music blended gospel, blues, folk, pop, and classical styles. No popular singer was more closely associated with the Civil Rights Movement than Simone.

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