This event has been postponed. 

Ticket holders will be advised of the new date and existing tickets will remain valid.

This Matariki, experience Toru Whā, presented by NZTrio with guest artist Horomona Horo, in the stunning setting of Auckland Museum's Te Ao Mārama South Atrium.

 

Toru Whā: Concert in celebration of Matariki featuring NZTrio with guest artist Horomona Horo

Toru Whā: Concert in celebration of Matariki featuring NZTrio with guest artist Horomona Horo

NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED
TE AO MĀRAMA SOUTH ATRIUM
GENERAL ADMISSION $55, DOOR SALES GENERAL ADMISSION $65
MEMBERS $49.50, MEMBER DOOR SALES $58.50

In this one-off performance fusing the modern with the traditional, explore the meaning of Matariki in contemporary Aotearoa through enchanting pieces written especially for NZTrio by Kiwi composers.

Toru Whā breathes musical life into Māori mythology with compelling works by Gareth Farr, Richard Nunns and Victoria Kelly. These tales are interwoven with pieces by Dame Gillian Whitehead, Jeremy Mayall and Martin Lodge, and bound together by Horomona Horo with masterful call and response on taonga pūoro in celebration of Ka Rewa a Matariki - the Rise of Matariki.

Described as a “national treasure” and “New Zealand’s most indispensable ensemble” (William Dart, NZ Herald), NZTrio is renowned for its eclectic repertoire, outstanding talent and warm kiwi stage presence. Any preconceptions of classical music being stuffy or intimidating are smashed by edgy repertoire, venue ambiance, and post-concert manaakitanga. Bringing together three incredibly accomplished artists: Amalia Hall, Ashley Brown and Somi Kim, every NZTrio performance powerfully reaffirms the importance and cathartic nature of a live musical experience in today’s digital world. Expect to be affected. 

This event is suitable for adults aged 18 and over. 

Horomona Horo

Composer, Performer

Horomona Horo

Composer and taonga pūoro practitioner, Horomona Horo (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, Taranaki) has fused traditional Māori instruments, taonga pūoro, with a diverse range of cultural and musical forms. 

+About Horomona Horo

Mentored by the late Dr Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns (both credited as largely responsible for the revival of taonga pūoro), Horo won the inaugural Dynasty Heritage Concerto Competition in 2001 and in the intervening years has become the international Māori face of taonga pūoro. Performances including orchestral work with the Weimarer Staatskapelle Orchestra, hip-hop with Pao Pao Pao, Opera in the Park with Kiri Te Kanawa, guest artist at the 90th Commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele, and international tours with Moana and the Tribe, Canti Māori, Irish collaboration - Green Fire Islands and the Voices NZ Choir have enabled Horomona to extend his knowledge and skills across diverse genres whilst remaining a cultural and musical educator in his own right. 

Horo continues to immerse himself in the unique sounds, techniques and practices of taonga pūoro. As well as having distinct musical voices, each instrument has a specific use relating to rites of passage, storytelling and daily life for the Māori people. Knowledge of customary practices and functions is something important that Horo has brought to his compositions with a diverse range of artists. Nga Tae, NZTrio, UK Composer Paul Lewis, Gareth Farr, Ross Harris, flautist Luca Manghi, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Maisey Rika have all collaborated with Horo.

Amalia Hall

Violin

Amalia Hall

Concertmaster of Orchestra Wellington, Amalia has received widespread acclaim for her ability to move audiences with her "sumptuous and sweet tone", inherent musicality and natural facility.

+About Amalia Hall

At the age of 9 Amalia made her debut with the Auckland Philharmonia; by the end of her teens she had won all of the major national awards in New Zealand, and has further won multiple laureate prizes at important international competitions, including the Joseph Joachim Competition and Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. 

On top of being a regular soloist for orchestras in New Zealand and abroad, her extensive performance experience includes concerti, recitals and chamber music throughout Europe, USA, Asia, South Africa, Mexico and NZ and recording chamber music for Bridge Records and Atoll Records. Amalia has held teaching positions at the University of Waikato and given masterclasses at universities and conservatories in Italy, England and Mexico. 

Born and raised in New Zealand, Amalia studied at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music with Pamela Frank and Joseph Silverstein, preceded by studies at the University of Auckland with Dimitri Atanassov. Amalia plays on the “Baron Knoop” Vincenzo Rugeri violin from c. 1700, generously on loan from a private benefactor.

Ashley Brown

Cello

Ashley Brown

Acclaimed as a musician of “unimpeachable artistry”, Ashley Brown is one of New Zealand’s leading soloists, collaborators, chamber musicians and recording artists.

+About Ashley Brown

Ashley is a founder of NZTrio and a passionate advocate for New Zealand music. His teachers have included Alexander Ivashkin, Aldo Parisot and William Pleeth helping him to success in auditions, competitions and awards, both local and international. 

His musical curiosity has led him from an Artist Diploma at Yale to a Doctorate of Musical Arts exploring the collaborative relationship between composer and performer, and onward to sharing the stage with composers and artists as diverse as Dame Gillian Whitehead, Moana Maniapoto, Michael Houstoun, Kristian Jaarvi and Neil Finn and he continues to enjoy a musical career that leaves no colour of the musical spectrum unexplored. Ashley plays the 1762 William Forster ‘Liberte’ cello.

Somi Kim

Piano

Somi Kim

Hailed for her “breath-taking range of colour, tone and inflection” (The Times), South Korean born New Zealand pianist Somi Kim has established herself as one of today's most versatile young pianists.

+About Somi Kim

Somi is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Performance and Master of Arts with Distinction, a DipRAM, and the HRH Princess Alice the Duchess of Gloucester’s Prize. A winner of the Royal Over-Seas League Accompanist Prize and the Gerald Moore Award for Accompanists, Somi is sought after as a chamber musician, song accompanist and répétiteur. 

She is the official pianist of NZTrio, a piano trio recognised as a national treasure’ and as ‘New Zealand’s most indispensable ensemble’ (NZ Herald). Somi is an official pianist and coach at the International Holland Music Sessions, International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Gisborne International Music Competition and the New Zealand Opera School. Somi made her debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in 2021 performing the Gershwin Piano Concerto, and her future appearances include Het Concertgebouw, Slovak Philharmonic and Wigmore Hall.