Claudine cleans up at audition

BY JANIE SMITH

She's tried her hand at the flute, the recorder, the piano and the double bass but Claudine MacLean may have found her musical niche with the vacuum cleaner.

Mrs MacLean and her Electrolux Ambassador will make their orchestral debut this Saturday in the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's The Last Night of the Proms concert.

She was one of three vacuum cleaner operators to get a part in the performance of A Grand, Grand Overture, which also involves a floor polisher and four rifles.

The Balmoral resident is a producer for the current affairs show Campbell Live and went along to do a story on the auditions.

"I saw the ad for the auditions and I was interested in it. I raised it at work as something we could do a story on and everyone thought it was hilarious."

She put in a lot of practice before the audition, thinking she might need to turn the vacuum on and off to music.

"I made my family watch. One friend said to me she was seriously concerned I would make a fool of myself."

But she proved her friend wrong by impressing the judges with her vacuum's sound and following the conductor's directions, while a cameraman filmed the auditions for a Campbell Live segment.

"I thought it was a sweet idea. I had seen the BBC performance on YouTube and did a bit of research on the composer, Malcolm Arnold. It was quite a tongue-in-cheek piece written in the 1950s.

"The music itself is beautiful without the vacuum cleaners. It's a great work and I loved it when I heard it. I'm very excited to be part of it."

The winning 1970s Electrolux isn't Mrs MacLean's only vacuum - she has three others at home.

"There's nothing quite like a good vacuum cleaner. I have a fluffy cat at home and I'm from a long line of ladies who appreciate vacuum cleaners."

Judge Antony Ernst says Mrs MacLean was chosen for a number of reasons.

"The tone of her instrument - a very fine Electrolux - was strong and clear and blended well with the other selected vacuums. She was also clearly able to work in with the music and has a sense of the tone of the occasion."

The Last Night of the Proms is on Saturday at the ASB Theatre at 7.30pm. For tickets visit www.apo.co.nz.

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