Force of Nature: Music celebrating 100 years of Forest & Bird

This special, uplifting performance of NZ acoustic chamber music presented with dynamic visual effects, celebrates the vital conservation work of Forest & Bird, reminding us all of the precious beauty of our whenua, moana, flora and fauna.

The concert features some of our most accomplished musicians - the NZTrio (Somi Kim - piano, Ashley Brown - cello, Amalia Hall - violin) performing with Rob Thorne - Taonga Puoro, Peter Scholes - clarinet, Bridget Douglas - flute and Yoshiko Tsuruta - percussion.  The innovative and stunning music has been written by some of Aotearoa's leading composers - including Salina Fisher, Janet Jennings, Andrew Perkins, Peter Scholes, Patrick Shepherd, Rob Thorne and Miriama Young, and emerging talent Alex Alford.  It is presented in concert with the support of atmospheric visual design by David Eversfield from Optic Shock, capturing unique environments and native species, both on land and in the sea.

Developed especially for performance in their centenary year, the themes of the pieces reflect and highlight some of the key concerns and achievements of Forest & Bird.  Founded in 1923 by war veteran Ernest ‘Val’ Sanderson after a campaign to restore Kāpiti Island and honour its status as a nature reserve, Forest & Bird has spent the last century playing a crucial role in preserving New Zealand’s wildlife and wild places.  They continue to advocate and be a powerful voice for nature.  This stirring one-off performance is inspired by and celebrates their incredible mahi.

Brought to you by Performing Arts Community Trust (PACT) in collaboration with Forest & Bird.  The performance World Premiere was at Auckland Arts Festival, 2023 and this is part of a one-off national tour throughout 2023, following that performance.

With support from Creative NZ.  Images by Andi Crown and courtesy of Auckland Arts Festival from the World Premiere performance on 17th March 2023.