Choral and orchestral music hire service
We hold the largest collection of musical performance material in New Zealand. The National Library’s Music Hire collection includes the substantial collection donated in 1987 by Radio New Zealand. We can offer over 5,000 orchestral sets and 3,000 choral sets for hire. Suggestions for new additions are welcome.
The National Library is also the designated hire agent for Douglas Lilburn’s orchestral works, having taken over this role from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. As well as our standard hire charges, an additional fee of NZ$60 (+GST) applies to sets from this collection. This fee goes to the Lilburn Trust, a charitable trust established by Douglas Lilburn in 1984, which supports projects and awards to foster and promote New Zealand music.
More information about the Lilburn Trust fee
Email musichire@dia.govt.nz if you have any questions about using the hire service.
Music hire services
Searching for orchestral and choral sets from the National Library and other organisations.
Registering as a participant in the hire service, either to hire from the National Library, or to make your collection available for hire by others.
Requesting hire of an orchestral or choral set from the National Library’s hire collection.
Obtaining contact details for other hiring organisations.
Requesting to list your hire collection, or to alter existing listings of your hire collection
The Collections
Orchestral
The orchestral sets cover much of the standard repertoire. They also include cantatas, oratorios, light orchestral music, song arrangements, complete operas, operatic excerpts and simplified versions of some orchestral works.
Choral
The choral collection falls into two main categories, multiple copies of large-scale choral and operatic works, and sets of part-songs.
All choral and orchestral sets are available for hire. In the case of orchestral sets, we can usually supply a complete set of parts with one full score or piano-conductor part. Some older sets do not include a score, and some have parts missing. All these details are carefully noted when the set is issued.
We are committed to the maintenance and expansion of these collections. Please tell us your suggestions for what else we can include.
Search for music
Hireable music held by the Library can be found in Te Puna Search. Items available through the music hire service include the holding 'Music Hire'.
Choral and Orchestral items available from other organisations are also listed in Te Puna Search.
Search for music in Te Puna Search
Download help on using Te Puna Search to find Music Hire items (pdf, 1.9MB)
Registration
To hire music from the National Library, you need to register with us. You only need to do this once, but if your organisation's details change, you'll need to update us. There is no charge for registration.
If you're hiring material from another organisation you don't need to register with us, but you'll need to abide by their terms.
Register to hire music from the National Library, or update your details
Hiring from the National Library
We charge fees for the hire of material from the National Library Music Hire collection. Other organisations have their own hire rates, so please check with them directly.
Please request material well in advance of the required date, as preparation of material is complex and time consuming. Every effort will be made to fill your request on time, but we cannot be responsible for materials returned late by other clients.
You can reserve items to hire at a later date. Use the booking form and specify the dates you wish to reserve.
Booking form for choral and orchestral sets
Charges ($NZ, excluding GST)
Set hires are for up to four months. If the material is available, you can get it for further months by prior arrangement at an extra charge.
| Duration (minutes) | Minimum charge (up to four months) | Charge for each subsequent month) |
|---|---|---|
| Choral sets (per score) | ||
| Less than 10 minutes | $0.80 | $0.40 |
| 10 to under 30 minutes | $1.20 | $0.60 |
| 30 to under 60 minutes | $1.60 | $0.80 |
| 60 to under 90 minutes | $2.00 | $1.00 |
| 90 minutes and above | $2.60 | $1.30 |
| Orchestral sets (per set) | ||
| Less than 10 minutes | $26.00 | $13.00 |
| 10 to under 30 minutes | $35.00 | $17.50 |
| 30 to under 60 minutes | $44.00 | $22.00 |
| 60 to under 90 minutes | $53.00 | $26.50 |
| 90 minutes and above | $97.00 | $48.50 |
| Band sets (per set) | ||
| Any duration | $26.00 | $13.00 |
Charges are based on the period up to and including your final performance date, regardless of the number of performances. All hire material must be returned within 16 days of the final performance.
Charges are based on duration (minutes) of the full work. Durations are at the National Library’s discretion, taken from sources such as publishers’ websites, printed reference resources, audio and video recordings of works.
New Zealand Choral Federation discount
Members of the New Zealand Choral Federation are entitled to a discount of 20 percent on all National Library requests made before 1 January 2017, at which time the discount will be discontinued.
Lilburn Trust fee $60.00 (+GST)
Standard hire charges apply to sets in the Lilburn Hire collection as well as an additional fee of $60 (+GST) per set for the rehearsal period and first performance. The fee is charged at half price for each subsequent performance. The NZCF discount does not apply to this fee.
When material for ‘Prodigal Country’ is hired one fee shall be applied per hire regardless of whether both the orchestral set and vocal scores are hired together or separately.
Postage costs
All outward postage costs are additional to these charges. They are charged at cost and will be included in the invoice. You may also choose to pick up the material from the Library. It is your responsibility to organise and pay for return postage.
Invoicing
An invoice will be created for the applicable charges by the Department of Internal Affairs after all the music material hired has been returned. You must pay each invoice in accordance with the requirements of that invoice within 20 days of receipt. If the music material is not used for any reason you will be charged for the period you have had the material so please choose carefully before hiring music.
Lost item charges
The charge for a lost or damaged item is the replacement cost of purchasing that item. A non-refundable administration fee of $50.00 (+GST) is charged (per invoice) for all lost or damaged items replaced by the National Library. You are welcome to purchase a new replacement copy of the lost item if it is available and can be sourced promptly.
Interloan
National Library items for hire are not available through interloan, but we may hold a copy of the score in our General Music Collection.
Browse the General Music Collection
Performing rights
You will need to obtain performance permission from the appropriate authority. Contact the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) for more details.
Contact APRA through their website
Short-term loans
Perusal copies of orchestral scores and single copies of choral scores are available for short-term loan.
Care of hired materials
Music may be marked lightly in soft pencil. All markings must be removed before return.
Please do not repair music, except in an emergency. Use only invisible Scotch mending tape, not standard sellotape or vinyl tape.
Before returning hired material, please check that all sets are complete before returning them. Orchestral parts should be checked against the list provided inside the folder. Please arrange parts in the order in which they are listed. Pack parcels well to prevent the music from moving around. Items can be returned by post, courier, or in person.
Sets need to remain complete to be useful to others, so you will be charged for any missing parts. Please let us know right away if a piece of a set is lost, so we can prepare replacement materials for the next client.