Dr Graeme Downes, of Otaki, MNZM, for services to music and music education
Dr Graeme Downes is the songwriter, vocalist and producer for The Verlaines, which he established in 1981.
He has orchestrated three concerts of works by Dunedin bands under the ‘Tally Ho’ banner. He developed New Zealand’s first rock music degree at the University of Otago, where he was a lecturer and Head of Department of Music.
With a PhD on the music of Mahler, he has provided pre-concert lectures for orchestras and contributed to Radio New Zealand music programmes.
He provides musicologist support in the area of copyright disputes. Dr Downes has been a songwriter ambassador for the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society.