19 February 2001 – All three CDs selected as finalists in the 2001 New Zealand Music Classical Award (organised by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand – www.rianz.org.nz) were produced and released by Trust Records: STRIKE – NZ Percussion Music; Michael Houstoun – Elusive Dreams; and Owhiro – Works for string quartet by Gareth Farr.

The winning CD will be announced during the award ceremony on Friday March 2, 2001.

Trust Records representative Ross Hendy says, "This is the first time since I can remember that all three classical award finalists have come from the same recording company. We are very proud of all three releases."

STRIKE – NZ Percussion Music (MMT2030) is the ground-breaking debut album from Wellington-based percussion group STRIKE. It includes works by composers Gareth Farr, Ross Harris, Miriama Young, Don McGlashan, David Downes and Murray Hickman. It also features traditional Cook Island log dumming arranged by George Upu. STRIKE (established in 1993 by Murray Hickman and Jeremy Fitzsimons) briefly toured Europe in November 2000, playing works from the album in London, Manchester and Paris.

Elusive Dreams (MMT2010) is a live recording of Michael Houstoun’s 1996 NZ Festival of the Arts concert of New Zealand piano music. It features works by John Psathas, Christopher Blake, Kenneth Young, Douglas Lilburn, Jack Body and Gareth Farr. Houstoun has twice won the classical award in previous years, both times for his recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.

Owhiro (MMT2019) features the New Zealand String Quartet playing three works by Gareth Farr. This was recorded in 1999, and launched by Prime Minister Helen Clark during the composer’s eighth birthday party on February 29, 2000.