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• Staff Profiles, Audio Production, Music

After growing up in Tauranga, as a teenager Antonio Mercuri ventured south, going “as far away as possible” to gain a qualification which would eventually lead him to settle in Invercargill with a fulfilling career.

Having left school at 16, Antonio entered the workforce and tried out some different jobs, which he admits didn’t hold much of a future for him. “I could see what my life would look like if I stayed, I was in a bit of a hole and I knew there was more for me,” he explains.

At age 19, Antonio took a leap into the unknown when he and some mates decided to head to SIT in Invercargill after seeing a six-month music course advertised. “There was cheap rent”, and he had nothing to lose. The pre-entry music programme didn’t require any previous music experience, giving Antonio “a foot in the door”. When he decided drumming was what he wanted to pursue, “the rest was hard work and trying to catch up for lost time”.

“I was a complete novice, but I had always been a passionate music listener and fan; I’d always wanted to play... I started drumming from scratch; I started at the bottom and slowly and I worked my way up.” 

Antonio identified a different culture in Southland. “There was support for the arts, there were the facilities at SIT and a community spirit. I realised it was the whole package.“ Also, there were people on the programme he could look up to who were peers and tutors. “And that was very inspirational, it showed me what was possible and the joy it could bring to people.”

Spending four years at SIT happily learning his craft, Antonio said he worked his butt off and tried to be as involved as much as possible. “The facilities at SIT were a big drawcard to stay and learn as much as I could,” and knowing the longer he stayed, the more time it gave him to play music and develop his skills.

Fast-forward five years, and Antonio graduated with a Bachelor of Audio Production, a Diploma in Music, and later on, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from Otago University, acknowledging a further qualification could aid him “if the rock star thing didn’t work out”.

“Teaching really helped get my act together; I also held it in high esteem,” he explained. And he understood the influence a good tutor can have over a student. “I really wanted to be that positive influence over people that may have been struggling and looking for something, like I had been.”

The next five years were spent making Antonio’s rock star aspirations become a reality – working and touring with original bands, producing albums and then touring them internationally. Antonio says this period of his life came to an end naturally and it was time to move onto something else.

Then an opportunity at SIT came up. “This job came available and it was the right stepping stone.” Antonio was originally a tutor but says getting the role of Programme Manager for Music and Audio Production was an ironic thing. “I felt like I was paying my dues, to try and preserve an environment which was so influential to my development as a musician and a person, I owed it to my former self to take this on with my whole heart.”

Antonio’s passion has grown for “how unique we are down here; we have something completely different”. SIT also attracts unique individuals; they often need mentoring, reassurance and guidance. Usually they’re living far away from home. “I love my job and feel grateful to be in position where I can give back to some of the students who were like me.”

“Programme Manager is a big role. It makes me even more passionate about the students and my position. I’m happy to be here.”