CONVERGENCE

NZTRIO (AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND)

Programme:

Gareth Farr/Richard Nunns (NZ): Nga kete e toru *Premiere of revised work

Gao Ping (China/NZ): Su Xie Si Ti (Four Sketches)

Chen Yi (China/USA): Tibetan Tunes

Victoria Kelly (NZ): Toi Huarewa/ Suspended Way *World premiere

Sun 24 March 2013

Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

Convergence is a dynamic Auckland Arts Festival 2013 concert that weaves together Western, Eastern and Māori musical traditions, presented by some of contemporary classical music's cross-cultural innovators. The popular and genre-busting NZTrio will be joined by master taonga pūoro (Māori traditional musical instruments) practitioner Horomona Horo in a programme comprising four works: the premiere of a revised version of Nga kete e toru by Gareth Farr and Richard Nunns, Su Xie Si Ti (Four Sketches) by Gao Ping, Chen Yi's Tibetan Tunes and the world premiere of Victoria Kelly's newest work, Toi Huarewa/Suspended Way.

Convergence provides a window through which the audience can look back on ancient music and traditions, and forward to a new world where sounds and cultures meet. The audience will be transported across the globe - from Gao Ping's expressive work that encapsulates the composer's experiences of eastern rituals, to the rich and lyrical Tibetan sounds of Chen Yi - then through time to Gareth Farr's reworking of his 2009 'conversation' between instruments of Māori and Pākehā culture in the mythical journey of Tane ascending to the heavens to acquire the three kete (baskets) of knowledge. In the world premiere of Toi Huarewa/Suspended Way, composer Victoria Kelly expresses our own time and place, exploring how the ancient language of taonga pūoro and the traditional and contemporary language of piano trio illuminate each other.

Both versatile and genre-busting, NZTrio epitomises the power of live music in a digital age. The group smashes preconceptions of classical music as stuffy and intimidating by engaging their listeners with intimate and dynamic performances. Mixing musical cultures and genres, and often involving collaborations with a diverse range of international artists, NZTrio inspires people of all walks of life to see classical music, old and new, as approachable, essential and meaningful.

The trio - violinist Justine Cormack, cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins - first joined forces in 2002, were Ensemble in Residence at The University of Auckland from 2004-2009 and have captivated music lovers throughout the world ever since. Recent highlights include a 2012 tour of China and Taiwan, appearances at the 2011 City of London Festival, 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, and a special concert at the Aurora Festival in Sydney. The trio also received rave reviews for their performance at the 2012 New Zealand International Arts Festival in Wellington.

Composer, practitioner and cross genre collaborator, Horomona Horo has fused the traditional instruments of the Māori, taonga pūoro, within a diverse range of cultural and musical forms. Mentored by the late Dr Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns, in 2001 Horo won the inaugural Dynasty Heritage Concerto Competition and has gone on to become the international face of taonga pūoro. His performances have included orchestral work with the Weimarer Staatskapelle Orchestra, hip-hop with Pao Pao Pao, Opera in the Park with Kiri Te Kanawa, the 90th Commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele and international tours with Moana and the Tribe.

Victoria Kelly is an award winning New Zealand film composer and musician. Although her focus is film composing, Victoria also works as an arranger, performer and producer. She has collaborated with some of New Zealand's most renowned artists including SJD, Nathan Haines and Shapeshifter. As well as  NZTrio, her contemporary classical music has been commissioned, performed and recorded by the New Zealand String Quartet, Stroma and Michael Houstoun. For her work in film and television, she has received numerous nominations and won two New Zealand Screen Awards.

As well as NZTrio, Gareth Farr's music has been performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the NZ String Quartet. He has composed for ballet, theatre, contemporary dance, and television (Kaitangata Twitch, Clare, Duggan). Farr is also an accomplished percussionist who has regularly performed with the NZSO, with his music heavily influenced by Indonesian gamelan, Māori Kapahaka, Taiko and Pacific Island drumming. Among other commissions, Farr was invited to create music for the 50th anniversary of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the opening of Te Papa. He composed the percussion concerto Hikoi for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Richard Nunns is a living authority on taonga pūoro. He has been described as one of New Zealand's most remarkable musicians. His thorough and sensitive research has provided a wealth of information around the sounds, history and stories of these taonga, ensuring their preservation for future generations. He has received national and international recognition as he takes the instruments into conversation, discussion and collaboration with different cultures and musical genres.

Chinese composer and pianist Gao Ping's music has seen success across the world. As a composer and pianist, he has received commissions and performance invitations from many arts organisations. Gao Ping's Piano Concerto premiered in 2008 with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Young. His Night Alley for solo piano was performed as the obligatory work for the 4th China International Piano Competition in 2007. Dr. Gao was a composition lecturer in the School of Music at the Canterbury University for a number of years.

As a Distinguished Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, a prolific composer and recipient of the prestigious Charles Ives Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2001-04), Chen Yi blends Chinese and Western traditions, transcending cultural and musical boundaries. In doing so, she serves as an ambassador to the arts, creating music that reaches a wide range of audiences, and inspiring people with different cultural backgrounds throughout the world.

www.aaf.co.nz

Their shared musicality, is exceptional...I am now, finally, a convert to contemporary music. - Nelson Mail

NZTrio is justly proud of its commissioning of our composers…they have created a storehouse of taonga. - NZ Herald

SEASON DETAILS

Show Convergence - NZTrio

Where Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

When Sun 24 Mar, 7pm

Duration 75 minutes no interval

Post-show talk Post-concert on Sun 24 Mar

Price Adult $45 ; Friend/Conc/Group $41

Bookings At THE EDGE; or 0800 BUY TICKETS (0800 289 842), (09) 357 3355 or www.buytickets.co.nz

Group bookings: (09) 357 3354 or groups@the-edge.co.nz

Information www.aaf.co.nz

Social Media Facebook: facebook.com/Aklfestival

Twitter: @Aklfestival

Media enquiries Siobhan Waterhouse, Publicist. P: +64 (0)9 374 0317 | M: +64 (0) 22 126  4149 | E: siobhan.waterhouse@aucklandfestival.co.nz

CREATIVE CREDITS

NZTrio: Justine Cormack - violin; Ashley Brown - cello; Sarah Watkins - piano

Taonga Pūoro: Horomona Horo