Taonga Pūoro Masterclass and Panel Discussion

Bringing together Māori and Western music traditions in performance and composition

5pm – 7pm, Wednesday 30 August
University of Canterbury School of Music Recital Room
Located in the Arts Centre, 3 Hereford St
Free to attend
This event will be followed by a shared dinner across the road at Toi Auaha (5 Worcester Boulevard).

All are welcome to attend a free masterclass and panel discussion exploring composition, performance and Taonga Pūoro.

This year for the first time ever, the New Zealand Composers Workshop will be held in Ōtautahi. Toi Ōtautahi are pleased to work with CANZ to offer a free masterclass and panel discussion for local musicians and composers.

The masterclass will be led by the highly accomplished Taonga Pūoro practitioner, Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui. This an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Taonga Pūoro, and the tikanga around working with traditional Māori instruments and Taonga Pūoro practitioners. Mahina will also join a panel of experienced Māori and Pākehā musicians – Jake Kīanō Skinner, Noel Meek, and Simon Eastwood – to discuss the ethics and responsibilities of bringing together Western music forms and Māori music forms in composition and performance.

Timetable
5pm: Panel discussion
6pm: Masterclass led by Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui
7pm: Shared dinner

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Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui
Mahina-Ina Kingi-Kaui (Kāti Irakehu, Ngāi Tuahuriri Kāti Huirapa, Te Whanau Pokai. Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Porou) is a talented recording artist, composer, an accomplished player and practitioner of Ngā Taonga Pūoro - Māori traditional instruments. She features on the numerous projects and collaborations, nationally and internationally. Mahina has produced and co-produced many albums and was nominated as a finalist in the 2001 NZ Music Tui Awards, called ‘Dance With the Wind – Te Karakia’, Big Belly Woman. Her second album, ‘Dignity – Ko Tapu Au, Tu Rangatira’ was launched at Parihaka Peace Festival in 2007.

Mahina has featured with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and has performed widely with groups such as Te Ahikaaroa Kapa Haka Group, Te Tau Hou Matariki 2022, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Pohutukawa, Pouataata, Christchurch Art Gallery. She composed the soundtrack for 2021 film, Rohe Kōreporepo directed by Kathleen Gallagher.

Mahina is currently working on a new album dedicated to her love of Ngā Taonga Pūoro, as well as, orchestral music and Dub-fusions. Her compositions reflect her passion for her culture, the environment, life experiences, the affairs of the heart and global issues that are affecting all nations of the world.

Jake Kīanō Skinner
Ko Tarawera te Maunga. Ko Te Awa O te Atua te Awa. Ko Te Arawa te Waka. Ko Ngāti Rangitihi te Iwi. Jake Kīanō Skinner of Ngāti Rangitihi descent is a connection facilitator, sound weaver, and musician, specialising in the practice, preservation, and restoration of Taonga Pūoro- traditional Māori instruments. In 2020 he released an EP Autumn Journeys. Collaborator in Kiki Pounamu album Waitaha Whetū Hikoi and facilitator of Hui Tāne (Men's circles) Jake's mahi expands into many creative and wellness spaces. Jake works as a multidimensional musician, creating sound journeys that revive the ancestral practice of indigenous sound therapy in a modern time. Participants are guided through healing with sound and given space to connect with ancestral whispers through waiata.

Noel Meek
Noel Meek is a Pākehā musician, composer and video artist based in Ōtautahi. Meek has performed extensively internationally and has presented works with SCAPE Public Art, St Paul St Gallery, The Adam Art Gallery, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space, The chronicle of <_______>, The Govett-Brewster Gallery, and CoCA Toi Moroki.

Simon Eastwood
New Zealand-based composer and bass player Simon Eastwood has a diverse practice, including orchestral and chamber works, electronic pieces, and improvisation. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington and his most recent work revolves around ‘re-interpretive collaboration’ with non-classical musicians, poets, painters, and video artists. In his doctoral project at the NZSM: Plant this Seed: Grow a Garden, Simon invited collaborative partners to transform one of his pieces in their own way. He, in turn, composed new music in response to each of these works and compared outcomes. The resulting pieces are diverse and yet intimately connected, illuminating the interwoven nature of communal creativity even in cases where individual backgrounds, methods, and interpretations differ significantly.

He is currently the president of the Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ). He has attended residencies and festivals in the UK Bulgaria, Estonia, Alaska, Austria, Turkey, and Lithuania. His works have been performed around the world by artists including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, CHROMA, Now Hear Ensemble, Alia Musica, Christopher Redgate, Kadri-Ann Sumera and Talvi Hunt, Stroma, Ensemble Gô, Franck Ollu, Martynas Levickis, Rubiks Collective, Corvus, the New Zealand String Quartet, and the BBC Singers.

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About CANZ:
Te Rōpū Kaitito Puoro o Aotearoa - The Composers Association of New Zealand (CANZ) is the association for all amateur and professional composers in New Zealand. CANZ provides opportunities to composers through the annual Composers Workshop, the Asian Composers League and the International Society for Contemporary Music, and works alongside organisations such as SOUNZ, APOA, RNZ, CNZ, APRA, and central Government. CANZ lobbies on behalf of its members to improve the situation for composers in New Zealand and produces the bi-monthly newsletter, Canzonetta which includes news, events, features and upcoming opportunities. CANZ also presents two annual awards: the Citation for Services to New Zealand Music, and the CANZ Trust Fund Award.

This year, the CANZ Composers Workshop is being held in Ōtautahi Christchurch. The workshop is an annual opportunity for composers to present and receive feedback on new pieces. For more information, visit: https://canz.net.nz/canz-composers-workshop/

Toi Ōtautahi: A Strategy for Arts and Creativity in Ōtautahi Christchurch
Toi Ōtautahi is a first for the arts in New Zealand. It is a new kind of partnership strategy, developed collaboratively with the arts sector and major funding, advocacy and development agencies. The aim of this strategy is to elevate the arts and creativity in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula by harnessing and building on the energy, passion, and innovative spirit of the community. The strategy recognises the impact of significant events in the city and the role the arts and creative sector have and can play in healing, connecting communities and finding innovative solutions to a range of issues. The strategy is not just about supporting artists - it is also about bringing wider benefits to the city - improving people’s wellbeing, sense of identity and connectivity, activating and bringing life to the city, attracting visitors and boosting the economy.

Taonga Pūoro Masterclass and Panel Discussion

Bringing together Māori and Western music traditions in performance and composition

5pm – 7pm, Wednesday 30 AugustUniversity of Canterbury School of Music Recital RoomLocated in the Arts Centre, 3 Hereford StFree to attendThis event will be followed by a shared dinner across the road at Toi Auaha (5 Worcester Boulevard).

5pm – 7pm, Wednesday 30 August
University of Canterbury School of Music Recital Room
Located in the Arts Centre, 3 Hereford St
Free to attend
This event will be followed by a shared dinner across the road at Toi Auaha (5 Worcester Boulevard).