Expat Cambridge singer Ben Merito will be performing at Chow and Tipple on February 24 at McKinnon Park in Cambridge.
It’s been 10 years since Cambridge musician Ben Merito crossed the ditch to pursue his music career in Australia, but the town still has a special place in his heart. “No matter how long I live overseas, Cambridge will always be home for me,” he said.
Ben will be joining Annie Crummer, Jenny Mitchell and others performing at the Chow and Tipple Food, Wine and Beer Festival on February 24, part of a flying visit home.
Chow and Tipple organiser Ryan Wolf who described Ben as “super-talented”, wanted him to perform at last year’s inaugural event, but a tour of Western Australia meant Ben couldn’t make it. “It was a privilege to be approached again this year. It will also be a milestone moment for me as 2018 marks 10 years for me as a full-time career musician,” Ben said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to come back and perform in my home town,” he added. Ben went to Cambridge Middle School, and St Peter’s for his junior high school years, completing his schooling at Cambridge High School. “I grew up playing music in Cambridge,” he said. From there Ben went on to complete a Bachelor of Teaching at Waikato University before he took the plunge and became a professional musician in 2008. And he has a solid musical pedigree, with his late father Gerry Merito one of the original members of the Howard Morison Quartet. Gerry, who died in 2009 at age 70, received a Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand in 1999, the highest honour available to a New Zealand variety entertainer.
Ben Merito said Cambridge has a special place in his heart.
Ben will perform at Chow and Tipple in between a performance at Mt Maunganui on Friday night and a charity show in Auckland on the Sunday, flying back to Perth on Monday for more performances. “I’m hoping to catch up with friends and family at the Chow and Tipple,” he said.
Cambridge News has a family pass to Chow and Tipple to give away. Just email your name and contact details to sophie@cambridgenews.nz and you will be placed in the random draw. Our decision is final, no responsibility accepted for wayward entries or other freak acts of nature.
