Young, gifted and classically trained... Photo: Pearl Kennedy
When he imagined a classical music concert, if he imagined one at all, Sebastian Kerebs pictured a formal occasion peopled by folk a lot older than him.
Then some of his Wellington friends, who just happened to be classical musicians, persuaded him to come along to their concerts - the Pōneke Classical Sessions.
It was something of a revelation. Not only were the musicians his age (Kerebs is in his 20s), so were most of the audience.
Sebastian Kerebs Photo: Supplied
He was able to get up from his seat, go to the bar, order a drink, and return to his spot - beverage in hand - without so much as a frown from anyone else in the room.
Kerebs was so taken by this scene he decided to make a documentary about it.
The result, "Pōneke Classical Sessions", gets its world premiere next month at Auckland's Bridgeway Cinema as part of this year’s Doc Edge Film Festival.
Kerebs spoke with RNZ Concert ahead of the film's premiere, which also features former RNZ Concert host Leah Thomas, who was one of the main organisers of the Pōneke concerts.
Kerebs says while traditional classical concerts are still not his thing, he's come to appreciate a wider range of classical pieces thanks to his experience covering the Pōneke sessions. In fact, these days he'd class himself as a regular RNZ Concert listener.
