I’m very happy to announce performances of a new work, Manaaki, for taonga puoro and string quartet. The piece is a collaborative composition with Ariana Tikao, and it’s great to be working together with Ariana again. Thanks also to the NZ String Quartet for commissioning us, and for their assistance with the compositional process.
Manaaki is a key concept within te ao Māori, and means ‘to support, take care of, give hospitality to, protect, show respect, and generosity for others’. This piece takes inspiration from the pōwhiri process, the ritual of encounter that typically happens on marae, where mana whenua welcome in the manuhiri. This should uphold the mana of the home people as well as acknowledge and enhance the mana of the people entering.
The premiere (Covid willing) is part of the Adam Summer Celebration, in Nelson, with Bob Bickerton playing taonga puoro.
Sunday 6 February 7.30 pm, Nelson Centre of Musical Arts
There is a second performance in the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts, in Wellington, with Horomona Horo.
Thursday 10 March, 7:30 pm, St Mary of the Angels, Wellington
Manaaki was commissioned by Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts