Liam Ryan Curriculum Vitae 

Liam Ryan

Mobile: 021 0421 322

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.torchmusic.co.nz

“Community building through the arts”

Academic Qualifications

• Master of Arts (Music) (Distinction) WINTEC 2007

• Bachelor of Education, University of Waikato, 1999

• Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, WINTEC, 1997

• Diploma of Teaching, University of Waikato, 1993 

Work

Current:

• Director National Youth Jazz Competition (NZ) 2015 –

• SAE Academic Board Member (2016 – 2024)

• Producer/Director Torch Music (studio and record label) 2007-

• Professional Musician – session keyboardist (1980 –

• NZQA – Degree Monitor (2005- 2020)

History:

• CPIT/ARA Performing Arts Manager  (Christchurch)  (2013 – 2016)

• NMIT Creative Industries –SASM  (2009-2013)

• CPIT BMusArts Degree Monitor (2011-2012)

• Tauranga National Jazz Festival – Director/ Artistic Director (2008-2015)

• Nelson Jazz and Blues Festival – Festival Director (2011-2013)

• NMIT Creative Industries Advisory Committee (2011- 2013)

• NZ Music Commission Mentors in Schools Programme – facilitator – Motueka High School, Nelson College for Girls (2011).

• Teaching Fellow/Lecturer – University of Waikato – Screen and Media Studies

  (Creative marketing – Post graduate lecturer) (2008 -2010)

• Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic Academic Board Member (2003-2007)

• Senior Academic Staff Member – Programme Leader, Te Kamakama Diploma in Music Production and Performance – Toi Ohomai (BOP Polytechnic)  (2003-2008)

• ARTS Facilitator in Schools 2001 – 2002 (MOE Contract)

• WINTEC Commercial Music Programme Manager (1994 – 2000)

• Music Teacher Berkley Intermediate Normal School, Hamilton (1990 -1993)

• HOD Music Melville High School (1987-1989)

• Professional Musician (Various Auckland club bands, Bamboo, Midge Marsden Band, Rodger Fox Big Band, The Narcs) 1980-1986 

Professional Memberships:

• Registered Teacher – NZ Teachers Council ( #325045 Exp. 03/03/2013)

• APRA Writer Member

• AMCOS Member

• IMNZ (NZ Independent Music Association) Member

Past memberships:

• New Zealand Music Commission (Inaugural Board Member) (2000- 2003)

• Creative Tauranga Creative Communities Grants Committee /Creative Tauranga (2002-2007)

• Nelson School of Music – Board Member (2010 -2011)

Project Management 

• ANZAC Bay Summer Kick-off Festival 2022 –

• Waihi Summer Music Festival – Director 2017/18

• Tauranga Youth Jazz Competition  – Director 2016/17

• Nelson Jazz and Blues Festival – Festival Director 2011-2013

• The Tauranga National Jazz Festival 2008-2015 (www.jazz.org.nz ) – Director/Artistic Director

• SubFM – Broadcasting Certificate Bay of Plenty Polytechnic 2005 – Project Manager

• Waikato Millennium Foundation Trust– Music for the Millennium Projects (1999 – 2001) Project Manager 

• MOE Contract. (2001 – 2002) ARTS Facilitator in Schools

Presentations, Publications and Performances

• Staff Writer – It’s About Time Magazine 2022- 20233

• ADASTRA Foundation Workshop: Where to from Here? Presentation to scholarship candidates, Tauranga, 2022

The Liquefaction of The Creative Class: Revisiting Florida In Post-Quake Christchurch – IASPM Conference, Otago University. December 2014.

• We Gotta Get Out Of This Place: revisiting meanings in the rise of rhythm‘n’blues in Christchurch 1964 – 1966. MAINZ Music Educators Conference. July 2014

• Columnist (fortnightly 500 words – Out Takes) Nelson Mail 2009 – 2013

Columnist – Wild Tomato Magazine 2011 – 2013

• Keynote Speaker EVANZ Conference Nelson 2012

• Facilitator Tasman Sounds Seminar (CNZ, APRA, NZMC), Nelson 2010

• We Gotta Get Out Of This Place: articulating meanings in the rise of rhythm and blues in Christchurch popular music 1960-1970 – University of Waikato Research Seminar 2009

• Research That Works: Keynote Speaker ITPNZ Conference, Tauranga 2008.

• Columnist (weekly 1000 words – In Tune) Bay Of Plenty Times 2006 -2009

• Stratification and Appropriation: articulating meanings in the rise of Anglo-American R’n’B subcultures in Christchurch 1960 -1970 – IASPM Conference Presentation Dunedin 2007

• Afro American Diaspora in New Zealand Popular Music – University of Waikato Lecture Series 2007

• Mississippi To Mauao – Conversations Across Cultures in Aotearoa – Paper presentation at 3rd Annual International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Hawaii. January 2005.

• Mississippi to Mauao – Hip Hop Aotearoa University of Waikato Continuing Education Lecture. 2004.

• Jazz Funk Interactive Workshop – with Rodger Fox, Jon Pappenbrook (USA). BOP Polytechnic. 2004

•  Light Moves – PAANZ Conference. Presentation Wellington 2004

•  Mississippi to Mauao – Jazz/Blues and Hip Hop Interactive Workshop. With Midge Marsden and  Hone Ngata. BOP Polytechnic. 2003

• God Bless the Child…Collaboration in the Arts in NZ Middle Schools – Taonga of the Pacific Rim: International Society of Music Educators Conference. Presentation .Auckland. 2001

• Songwriting: a Vehicle for Intermedia – Breakthroughs: Ninth International Conference on Thinking. Auckland 2001.

• The Present ICLEI International Conference on Sustainability. Hamilton. 2001

 Publications

• Featured Interview – Seasons magazine, April 2022

• Inside Out RNZ Jazz programme – Cosmic Lounge recording playlisted as part of NZ Jazz feature, October 2021

• Inside Out RNZ Jazz programme – Caribbean Cruise playlisted as part of Focus on Tauranga Jazz , October 2021

• Interviews on RNZ – The Last Record Album (Little Feat); The Narcs reunion (interview and live performance on air) October, 2015

• http://www.radionz.co.nz/search/results?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=Liam+Ryan – interview with Kim Hill.

•  From Mississippi To Mauao and Waikato to Nelson – interview NZ Musician Magazine (Oct 2010) http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/printversion/pi_articleid/2130

•  The Big Idea website interview (April 2010) http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/tbi-qna/67944-tbi-qa-liam-ryan

•  We Gotta Get Out Of This Place: articulating meanings in the rise of rhythm and blues in Christchurch popular music 1960-1970 – University of Waikato Research Seminar 2009

•   The Deluge in a Paper Cup- Reflections on Identity in Music Aotearoa – Soundarts Journal Jan 2008.

•  Stratification and Appropriation: articulating meanings in the rise of Afro American subculture in Christchurch music (MA Dissertation) 2007

 • Mississippi to Mauao – Revised Conversations Across Cultures in Contemporary Aotearoa– New Zealand Musician Magazine Website article February 2006

  Mississippi to Mauao – Conversations Across Cultures in Contemporary Aotearoa – BOPPOLY Forum Journal ArticleNovember 2005

 •  Mississippi To Mauao – Conversations Across Cultures in Aotearoa – Conference proceedings 3rd Annual International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Hawaii. January 2005.

Film and TV Scores and Commissioned Work

• The Poetry of Hone Tuwhare Project – composed and arranged Bird of Prayer for recording and national tour by The Rodger Fox Big Band, November 2022.

• Water As Kindness – composition and collaboration with film, poetry, song and spoken voice. For Creative Waikato Creative Acts of Kindness online exhibition, October 2022

• The Great New Zealand Fish Scandal – SKY Discovery Channel – soundtrack, 2009 

• Studio production work – various advertisements for radio and TV, DVD soundtracks (Ruben the Road Safety Bear (MOT, 2004), Slip Slop Slap and Wrap (NZ Cancer Society, 2008)

• 1988-1991 worked regularly in Hollywood, Los Angeles as songwriter signed to Criterion Publishing

• 1981-1996 member of The Narcs. (Gold Record, 4 top 20 hits, and 5 awards at RIANZ Music Awards 1984). Also participated in various reunion festivals and tours with the band over the last 5 years – final tour with the Narcs was in June 2022.

Performances

•  Performances at Tauranga Jazz Festival, Manawatu Jazz Festival with The Flaming Mudcats, Midge Marsden Band and Lucky Strike and with The Action and The Blue Riders (2022- 2024)

• Spicer & Ryan in Concert – Waihi Drama Society Theatre : multi-media concert featuring live performances of electronic based songs from The Affirmations series, October 2022.

• Various festival and national touring performances with The Narcs, The Midge Marsden Band, The Lizard Kings, The Blue Riders, The Flaming Mudcats. (2019-22 between covid lockdowns)

• Performances Summer 2017-18: The Midge Marsden Band (1), The Lizard Kings (2), The Narcs (tour and Selwyn Sounds Festival), The Sou’Westers (2), The Blue Riders (3) , TJS Jazz Jams (3), Tina Cross (1).

• Tauranga Arts Festival Concert: Sarah Spicer and The Blue Riders in Concert October 2017

• Torch Records releases 2017: Dan Sharp Ad Luceum (5-track EP), Hamin Derus The Devil you Know (single), Tina Cross Another Day in Paradise (promotion song for Paradise Coast).

• Red Skies Album project with John Wright OBE. (Producer). Released January 2017.

• The Lizard Kings – Nelson Jazz Festival. January 2017

• The Narcs with Peter Warren and Rikki Morris – tour October 2016./17

• The Ryan Dickson Line –Trans-Tasman EP project (Composer and producer). Released December 2016.

•  Hello Sailor – keyboardist. Hagley Park Concert. Christchurch March 2015

• The Sou’Westers – Diamond harbor. Concert February 2015.

• The Narcs – – Summerfest – Whangarei. January 2015

• The Lizard Kings – New Years Eve.  Nelson City Council Concert . January 2015.

• Sharon O’Neill in Concert. Nelson November 2014

• The Lizard Kings – The Doors Experience  National Jazz Festival Christchurch. April 2014.

• The Lizard Kings – A tribute to the music and poetry of The Doors – performances (Nelson School of Music (3) 2011, Hokitika Wild Foods Festival, Tauranga National Jazz Festival 2012).

• Performances – MINT (Jazz, NMIT tutors), The Sou’Westers, Torch Songs, The Brandy Creek Band (2012).

•  Urban Transition – Installation Soundscape Tauranga Arts Festival (2011)

•  Pacific Riviera – Live performance at Tauranga Arts Festival (2011)

• Performances: Brandy Creek Band, The Legendary Mudsharks, Bamboo, Midge Marsden, Torch Songs, Golden Kiwis, The Boogie Train, Aly Cook. 2011

• Producer Pacific Riviera – solo album 2010

• Keyboardist with Sharon O’Neil Taste Tasman Concert 2010

• Performances (solo and with a variety of bands (One Vibe, Boogie Train, The Brandy Creek Band, UberCat, Torch Songs, solo) – Summer of 2010 

• Nelson Winter Festival – with UberCat 2009

• Nelson Jazz Festival – Concert with Midge Marsden 2009

• Performances with Midge Marsden, Hammond Gamble (National Tour) and the Torch Songs Band – 2008.

• M2M: Mississippi to Mauao – CD of original works. Release March 1 2007 (See reviews at www.m2m.org.nz)

• Light Moves – Torch Songs CD. Producer. 2004 

• The Story So Far Torch Songs CD. Producer. 2002

•  Session keyboardist for Robben Ford Tour (US) 2002

 World Blues Review. NZ Tour Charlie Musselwhite and US Band. 2001

• Winner New Zealand Music Awards. A TUI award for The Present. Producer/ 2001

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