First ever concerto for taonga puoro in Christchurch

First ever concerto for taonga puoro and orchestra to premiere in Christchurch

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra will mark a milestone in the cross-cultural fusion of music in a concert fitting for Matariki.

Kaleidoscope Colours will see the world premiere of Ko te tātai whetū, the first ever concerto for solo Taonga pūoro (traditional Maori instruments) and orchestra, with the CSO and soloist Ariana Tikao. The piece was commissioned by the CSO and composed by New Zealander Philip Brownlee and Ariana Tikao with guidance from renowned Taonga pūoro expert Dr Richard Nunns.

"It is a real honour to be performing with the CSO, and to perform this particular piece in Christchurch, which is not only my home town, but my turakawaewae (spiritual home),” said Ariana, who won an award at imagiNATIVE film + media festival in Toronto in 2009.

“I will be performing for my whanau and mentors who have supported me in my music over the years, so that will be very special. The theme relates to the adornment of the sky with stars and constellations, which is perfect for this time of year, as we enter the Matariki and Puaka season - a heralding of the Māori New Year.”

“The most exciting thing, for me, is the collaboration with Ariana – getting to know her and her music and finding ways that we can make music together,” Philip said about the process of composition.

Completing the rest of the programme will be A Quiet Fury, a piece by another New Zealander, Lissa Meridan, who recorded the sounds of Parisian street noise and combined them with an orchestra, The Bali-inspired Sun Music III by Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe and Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin op.19.

Date: Saturday 13th June

Time: 7.30pm (Pre-concert Talk 6.40 pm)

Venue: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, Wigram.

Visit www.cso.co.nz for tickets or more information.

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