Cushion Concerts: Circa 2023, & Still Going Strong

Cushion Concerts were the brain-child of Inverlochy Director, Cheryl Corrado, who along with wanting to fill Inverlochy House with live music; sought to create a supportive and relaxed platform for emerging musicians to showcase their work, test new material and reach new audiences. Cheryl booked in the first act in early 2023, and we've been hosting gigs since.

Held in our Lecture Hall, with it's combination of chandelier fitted high ceilings and colourful hodge-podge of student works-in-progress; Cushion Concerts offer a fun, welcoming atmosphere for Wellingtonian's to experience live music. Gigs have an intimate feel - picture stumbling in on a friendly band-practice - and it's not uncommon for people to bring their own cushions (although, note: we do also put out chairs!) As always, accessibility was key when dreaming up this programme. $10 a ticket plus kids-for-free makes for an affordable night's entertainment. Plus the family-friendly time 5-6 pm on Sunday evenings allows everyone to be "home in time for dinner and One News" as one performer put it!

True to our school's kaupapa of supporting the arts and supporting artists, seventy five percent of all ticket proceeds go directly to Cushion Concert performers. Over 2024-2025 we were also incredibly fortunate to receive funding from Wellington City Council to pay a base-line performers fee to each musical act on top of ticket sales. This grant was first supported by the Wellington City Council (WCC) Arts and Culture Fund, and then in 2025 by the WCC Living Wage Fund. For the latter grant, WCC acknowledged the time intensive nature of gigging, and funds granted were to support the many behind-the-scenes hours that musicians devote to their mahi before they even step on stage. Feedback from the likes of jazzy-blues musician, Carol Bean, who performed with us in May 2024, has confirmed the importance of supporting this cause:

Showcasing our music at the Inverlochy Art School gave us more than just exposure to a new/ different audience. It gave us a chance to try out new material, and gauge how our sound system worked in a smaller venue. We appreciated the money immensely. People don't understand how expensive gigging is.

The Concerts

Cushion Concerts kicked off with Please Adjust Your G-String, the memoir of long time Paris showgirl. Margaret Austin,  In this hilarious and honest performance, Margaret, alongside Ralph McAllister, told the story of her career as a burlesque dancer. With ample use of her red feather boa, which was frequently flicked and flitted around the grinning crowd, Margaret transported her audience to the 1970's underground scenes of Amsterdam, Athens and Paris. 

Since this excellent debut show, we've enjoyed a wide range of musical acts from psychadelic rock (thanks Laughing Sam's Dice & Oddish!) to Jazz ensembles such Little Symphony Jazz Quartet and duo Lockie Bennett with Elijah Mulheron on double bass and jazz guitar. Bands Sol Fide and Daily Keno brought blissed-out indie tunes and we have been twice blessed to host PLANET with their one-of-a-kind performance of "bagpipes, excitement and Rock n' Roll".

Thank you to all the amazing musicians who have performed with us so far and for those who have joined our 2025 lineup - we are incredibly proud and motivated by this programme and you are at the heart of it.

Ngā mihi: Margaret Austin, Wise Fools, Filtersphere & Gunter Herbig, Little Symphony Sax Quartet, Nigel Parry, Laughing Sam's Dice, Oddish, Sol Fide, Carol Bean Band, Spitfires, Nexus, Daily Keno, SHAN, Temple, PLANET, Lockie Bennett & Elijah Mulheron, Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo.

Cushion Concerts are held on the last Sunday of the month from May through to November. All are welcome, see you at the next one!