Arts Manager
Presenter
Clarinettist
Marcus
Norman
About | Management | Performance & Awards | Projects
ABOUT
Proudly Ōtautahi born and raised, Marcus is the Director of The Piano in Christchurch, one of Aotearoa’s premiere performing arts venues.
Marcus’s professional portfolio spans senior leadership, arts management, performance, community engagement, producing and broadcasting. Marcus has held education, artistic development and leadership roles with Opera North (Leeds) and Southbank Sinfonia (London, now Sinfonia Smith Square), and has led both the New Zealand String Quartet (NZSQ) and The Dust Palace Circus Company and School as General Manager. With the NZSQ and The Dust Palace Marcus led transformative periods of strategic and organisational change.
Marcus is a clarinettist and proud graduate of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington, Royal Northern College of Music (UK), and University of Leeds and was the 2016 Pettman DARE Fellow with Opera North. He has performed with the Hallé Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared on live solo broadcasts with BBC Radio 3 and is a Chandos recording artist. Marcus joined RNZ Concert in 2023 as a casual presenter, most often broadcasting from their Christchurch studio and presenting live concert broadcasts of the Auckland Philharmonia at the Auckland Town Hall.
As a contemporary music advocate, Marcus gave the UK and Italian premiere of Chris Cree Brown's 'Inner Bellow' for clarinet and tape, and the UK premiere of Ross Harris's 'Four Laments for Solo Clarinet', alongside countless premieres of brand-new music by UK composers.
Work
The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts
Pīpīwharauroa Kui-kui whitiwhiti ora
Director
2024—Present
Opened in 2016, The Piano is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s premiere performance venues, renowned for its world class acoustics and powerfully intimate artist and audience experience in the 325 seat Philip Carter Family Concert Hall.
Community is at the heart of The Piano’s purpose, ensuring accessible experiences for community groups, young people, emerging and professional artists alike.
Reporting to The Piano’s Board of Trustees, Marcus leads The Piano’s strategic, operational, financial, artistic and community engagement functions supported by a small but mighty team of event professionals and valued technical partners.
Media
Pianists to star at The Piano in 2026: Marcus chats to RNZ Concert’s Three to Seven host Bryan Crump about The Piano’s International Piano Recital Series for 2026
Coming Home From the Circus: Marcus chats to RNZ Concert’s Three to Seven host Bryan Crump about his new role at The Piano
Piano Man – Marcus Norman: Marcus caught up with Metropol Magazine’s Joseph Harper about his vision for Ōtautahi Christchurch’s destination venue and his passion for enabling the arts to flourish
General Manager
The Dust Palace Circus Company & School
Interim, 2023—2024
Reporting directly to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Marcus oversaw the business, venue, organisational and personnel management of Aotearoa's leading circus theatre company, school and venue on an interim basis during a period of organisational change.
Key Achievements
Change Management: established robust financial, organisational and governance processes during a period of leadership change. Devised and developed business plans and annual budgets for 2023/2024, alongside establishing cashflow tracking processes.
Secured a highly contested $150K Annual Arts Grant from Creative New Zealand, encompassing a broad scope of circus activity from show development, professional skills development, and operational costs for Te Kura Maninirau - Aotearoa's first kaupapa Māori circus school.
Provided strategic planning oversight and consultancy services: refreshing the Dust Palace strategic plan to reposition the company as the leadership organisation for the circus sector of New Zealand.
Facilitated a customer review process to improve the school student experience, hosting surveys and in-person feedback workshops, resulting in a clear and improved offering for existing and new students.
Presenter (Casual)
Radio New Zealand Concert
2023—Present
Casual Presenter for RNZ Concert, Aotearoa's fine music station. Preparing and presenting engaging content for voice breaks of various weekend and occasional weekday shows: RNZ Concert Days; Evenings; Music Alive and Sound Lounge.
Casual Programmer (2023 – 2024) for RNZ Concert, curating music playlist selections for RNZ Concert programmes, including classical, folk, jazz, stage and screen, and cross-genre programming.
General Manager
New Zealand String Quartet Trust
2021—2022
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, Marcus oversaw all artistic, business, strategic and operational aspects of one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most beloved performing arts groups, providing line management for two administrative staff and four quartet musicians. A key aspect of Marcus’s mahi was successful relationship management of the NZSQ’s impressive array of stakeholders, artistic and education partnerships, funders and audiences.
Additionally, Marcus delivered the project, marketing and artistic management for the self-presented concert and education activity, alongside grant funding applications and full reporting on the NZSQ’s annual programme of activity.
Key Achievements
Successfully secured major funding for an additional three year period through the Creative New Zealand Toi Uru Kahikatea Investment programme, in addition to strengthening our long-term partnership with NZSM - Te Koki for a further contractual term
Devised and implemented a new strategic plan putting audience and community engagement and our cultural ambassadorship at the heart of our mission, involving extensive sector research and consultation with key stakeholders. Read more here
Successfully launched a brand-new Digital Concert Hall in 2021 – NZSQ Online, encompassing digital concerts, pre-concert insights series and a ‘bitesize’ masterclass series
Established and formalised new partnerships with four performing arts organisations and education providers
Artist Development Manager
Southbank Sinfonia (now Sinfonia Smith Square)
2018—2021
Artist Development is at the heart of Sinfonia Smith Square’s annual fellowship programme for outstanding music graduates from all over the world. Marcus managed the professional and artistic development of each of the orchestra’s 33 musicians, taking a strategic overview of their progress from applicant, member of the orchestra to alumni.
Marcus devised and delivered a bespoke programme of creative projects, chamber music, workshops, masterclasses and learning and participation activity in schools that develop key skills in preparing the musicians to become confident and innovative leaders in the profession. Marcus managed key relationships and projects with their impressive range of partners and act as principal contact for stakeholders and colleagues from across the arts sector.
Additionally, Marcus oversaw the health and well-being of Sinfonia Smith Square’s musicians, ensuring they were physically and mentally resilient, prepared to embrace the demands of sustaining a long-term, healthy career as a musician in the 21st Century.
Orchestral Activity Manager,
In Harmony Co-ordinator,
Pettman DARE Fellow
Opera North, Leeds (UK)
2016—2018
Orchestral Activity Manager: Marcus established and managed an annual programme of orchestral education projects for young people age 9-19 from across the North of England and beyond, including the Opera North Orchestra Academy, Orchestra Camp and Junior Strings Ensemble. Working closely with the Orchestra of Opera North, Marcus devised and implemented an artistic progression strategy, managed budgets, contracted conductors and soloists and reported on multiple small to large scale projects and residential courses.
In Harmony Co-ordinator: Marcus was responsible for the daily running of the In Harmony Opera North programme, working to ensure consistency and quality of music delivery and helping to facilitate CPD and artist development. Marcus co-ordinated In Harmony’s team of delivery artists and liaise with school staff and the families of their students as well as managed large and small scale concerts and projects within Windmill and Low Road Primary and New Bewerley Community Schools. In Harmony Opera North is a long-term community residency that uses the power and pursuit of excellence in music with the specific aim of transforming life opportunities for the children of Windmill Primary School, Low Road Primary School, New Bewerley Community School and their wider communities.
Performance & Awards
Notable Performances 2009–2018
Orchestral: Hallé Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia
Recording & Broadcast: Recording artist for Chandos record label LISTEN HERE; Live broadcast artist for BBC Radio 3 (Hear & Now and BBC Young Artists)
Recitalist: Howard Assembly Room, Leeds (2016), Chamber Recital at Wigmore Hall, London (2015); Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte di Montepulciano, Italy (2015)
Awards & Scholarships 2013–2018
Pettman/DARE Fellowship, Opera North and NZOpera 2016
Annual Concerto Competition Winner, Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) 2015
‘Audience Choice' Prize at Chris Rowland Ensemble of the Year Competition, RNCM 2015
Woods/Candlin Woodwind Performance Prize Winner, RNCM 2014
Buffet Crampon Scholarship 2014
Creative New Zealand, New Zealand/Aotearoa Music Scholarship 2014
Dame Malvina Major Foundation, Arts Excellence Award 2013 & 2014
Winifred Bessie Louisa Owen Trust Scholarship 2013
Projects
NZSQ Digital Sessions
Marcus Norman Executive Producer
Latitude Creative | Nate Ormsby & Alistair McKenzie Visuals
Atoll Records | Wayne Laird Producer
Graham Kennedy & Jeremy McClean
with support from Michael Allan Sound
NZSQ Digital Concert Hall was launched in 2022 amidst Covid-19 restrictions, enabling audiences to engage with the NZSQ in the comfort of their homes. Marcus provided overall executive production and distribution.
Generously supported by Creative New Zealand’s Adaptation Fund.
Sinfonia Smith Square:
Round Chapel Sessions
Marcus Norman Executive Producer
Teralon Media Film Production
James Ivey Sound Engineer
Amidst seemingly endless obstacles in London to live concerts in 2020, Sinfonia Smith Square embraced restrictions and used social distancing as a creative device. Three cinematic films shot in the visually-stunning surroundings of Hackney's Round Chapel immerse the viewer within the orchestra, as if wandering through a live performance led by conductor Chloé van Soeterstède.
Southbank Sinfonia:
Virtual Family Concert
Marcus Norman Concept & Voice Over
Matt Belcher Concept & Editing
Marcus and Matt devised and created this fun and fabulous Virtual Family concept with musicians from Sinfonia Smith Square to engage with the orchestra’s regular family audiences in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sinfonia Smith Square:
Peak Performance Coaching with Gold Medallist Fencer Claire Bennett
Marcus Norman Partnership Manager
Claire Bennett Workshop Leader
Marcus brokered a ground breaking new partnership with Claire Bennett, Commonwealth Games gold medallist fencer. Together, they devised a peak performance programme for musicians drawing on principles of sports psychology and research.
Marcus and Claire presented their work at the Association of British Orchestras 2020 Conference - their session was voted ‘Audience Favourite’ by delegates. Their work has since gone on to be adopted by BBC Symphony Orchestra, Guildhall School of Music, Manchester Camerata, National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain.