VOICES NEW ZEALAND TAONGA MOANA A love letter to the oceans

with Matthew Barley & Stephen De Pledge Governments have just a few months left to agree to a Global Ocean Treaty. If they get it right, it will open the door to vast network of ocean sanctuaries, which could protect over a third of the world’s seas

Text the word OCEAN to 5806 to demand a G Global Oceans Treaty Voices New Zealand 1

Tēnā koutou

We are delighted to be presenting Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir (Voices NZ) in a spectacular multi-media programme, Taonga Moana which tells the story of the threat posed to our beautiful oceans, now and into the future. Taonga Moana features compositions from around the world, including a newly commissioned work by distinguished New Zealand composer Warren Maxwell, accompanied by a landscape of evocative projected moving images created by multimedia artists Tim and Mic Gruchy. With an international reputation for vocal excellence. Voices NZ, directed by Dr Karen Grylls, have created this inspiring programme which celebrates our oceans as taonga. Underlying Taonga Moana is an important and timely message for each and everyone of us about preserving our world for future generations to come. We are very grateful for the support we have received towards this tour by the Lion Foundation, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Community Trust South, TSB Community Trust, Otago Community Trust, Trust Waikato and the Rata Foundation.

Catherine Gibson Chief Executive Chamber Music New Zealand 2 Chamber Music New Zealand

Taonga Moana A Love Letter To The Oceans

Prologue The Call Of The Kuaka

David Hamilton (New Zealand) Karakia Of The Stars

James Gordon Arr. Diane Loomer (Canada) Frobisher Bay

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (Finland) The Seafarer*

Jeff Enns (Canada) The Sorrow Song Of Whales (newly arranged for SATB)

Improvisation (on ‘Lacrimosa’ from Mozart’s ‘Requiem’ and ‘Dies Irae’ plainchant)

Warren Maxwell (New Zealand) Hind Mahaasaagar*

Ken Steven (Indonesia) Henkatan Jiwa

Eriks Esenvalds (Latvia) A Drop In The Ocean

Mason Bates (United States) Observer In The Magellanic Cloud

Warren Maxwell (New Zealand) Te Tai Uka A Pia*

* World Premiere DURATION: 80 minutes with no interval Voices New Zealand 3

Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir

Conductor Altos Karen Grylls Helen Acheson Morag Atchsion Director/Storyboard Hazel Fenemor Sara Brodie Andrea Cochrane

Script Development Tenors Briar Grace-Smith Matthew Bennett Phillip Collins Audio Visuals Jared Corbett Tim and Mic Gruchy Albert Mataafa

Language and Vocal Coach Basses Catrin Johnsson, Choirs NZ James Butler Gregory Camp Sopranos Nick Forbes Rachel Alexander Sotherland William King Pepe Becker Ella Ewen Shona McIntyre-Bull

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust Arne Herrmann, Chief Executive Karen Grylls, Artistic Director Emma Billings, Operations Manager Ben Fagan, Marketing Manager Anna Bowron, Manager NZSSC choirs.nz

The artists reserve the right to make changes to the programme.

Please kindly remember to switch off all cellphones, pagers and watches. Taking photographs, or sound or video recordings during the concert is prohibited unless with the prior approval of Chamber Music New Zealand. Thank you. 4 Chamber Music New Zealand

Synopsis

From their northern breeding grounds The World Serpent speaks of the the kuaka (godwits) who can fly rising toxicity which has caused him between the past and future, cry out to adapt, and like the Indian Ocean’s for the great navigator of old, Ui-Te- sea snakes he has lost his brilliant Rangiora to rise up. From the ancient yellow stripes. He warns of a tipping seabed he appears on a waka made point that cannot be contained. of dead men’s bones. The kuaka call for him to journey southwards with Shells of the sea’s creatures are them to speak to future generations. weakening in acid waters and breaking up. Ui-Te-Rangiora’s waka of As the Artic sea ice melts it releases bones begins to disintegrate. Is this the voices of seafarers past (trapped the day of wrath, where man will be in the ice) who pursued the mighty judged, and dissolve? whale. Yet, Ui-Te-Rangiora discovers the whale-paths are silent. Each time The sinking bones awaken Kurma he casts his net across the expanse the sea turtle, who appears in the of the Atlantic it comes back empty. time of crisis to restore equilibrium. He catches Ui-Te-Rangiora on his The people of the coming days will back, migrating like the crayfish to know about the casting out of nets. cooler water. But, how will they eat? At the earth’s equator the navigator casts again At the Pacific Gyre they encounter with the last of the strength he has. another serpent, this one created by The ocean churns the colour of man, an attempt to clear the waters of milk. From the foam appears a giant what has been discarded. serpent, the mythic World Serpent Reaching Aotearoa Ui-Te-Rangiora’s who encircles the oceans and escort can travel no further. He is contains the poisons of the waters transferred onto the back of the by biting its tail. It offers of it’s flesh mighty Tohorā; to ride the whale to enable Ui-Te-Rangiora to hear the south to the rāhui, the sanctuary in the whale’s song; the memory of the Antarctic Ocean. There, proclaim it for melody of the earth and abundance generations to come; let all who hear of oceans connecting all beings. of it rise up.

Synposis by Sara Brodie

Voices New Zealand is managed by Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust, a charitable trust that also looks after the New Zealand Youth Choir and the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir in order to create, nurture and promote vocal excellence in choral singing. Voices New Zealand 5

Taonga Moana Programme Notes The Seafarers and Whales The initial idea of Taonga Moana The kuaka takes us first from an inlet was an inspiration drawn from on Baffin Island in the North Atlantic. conversations with many people Frozen in Frobisher Bay is the tale of about how our oceans must become the captain of a whaling ship who sanctuaries and the need for us all to decides to push the late summer care of them. “Aranga, Aranga” comes season to catch “one more whale”, the cry; perhaps, if we followed the but finds himself and his crew frozen kuaka (godwit) on its Spring journey in for the Winter. The sailors may south from its breeding nests in the never see their families again. In great Siberian and Alaskan tundra to Mäntyjärvi’s work, commissioned for the rich feeding grounds provided this programme, the tenth century by Aotearoa’s tidal flats and coastal text speaks about the spirit of The marshes, we could embrace the Seafarer who journeys over the oceans and thank them for allowing whale’s path across the waves of the the earth to exist. Taonga Moana is northern seas; in his song, expressed just that; a love song to the oceans. in folk and contemporary style, he warns“ I do not believe the world’s The journey, sung, staged and with riches will last for ever.” And as audio and visual design, is a series we “listen closer to the water” we of musical and visual snapshots from hear The Sorrow Song of Whales. In the Arctic Ocean in the north to the his piece, arranged for Voices NZ, Southern Oceans and Antarctica. Canadian composer, Jeff Enns asks us In response to the kuaka, Hamilton’s to seek forgiveness from the whales Karakia of the Stars, to the Sacred in the waters of the Atlantic, to listen One, to the magellanic cloud, cries out and learn from them, to stop the for the new year’s growth to flourish, blasting and slow the ships, for “we the Matariki, for the waters to provide. are all connected…. Right whales and dolphins, we sing for you”.

Voices New Zealand thanks the following supporters: Creative New Zealand, NZCT, The Southern Trust, Otago Community Trust, ILT Foundation, Community Trust South, Mainland Foundation, Eastern & Central Community Trust, Trust Waikato, Lion Foundation and Rata Foundation. 6 Chamber Music New Zealand

Lament and guilt: The Whales Navigate A lament from the “Lacrymosa” our The kuaka is exhausted , as it own guilt “homo reus”, and the has travelled the eight thousand horrific tales from Warren Maxwell’s kilometers from Alaska and reaches Hind Mahasagaar, from the Indian Aotearoa, ”Home at last” The Ocean take the journey onward; the Observer in the Magellanic Cloud waters glows with the sinking bones looks down from the heavens upon of men upon the ocean floor. From the Matariki, and the new growth. the edges of the Indian and Pacific And Warren Maxwell’s final thoughts Oceans there is a human response, are of the tides of icy shards, Te Tai the Malay dance, inspired by an Uka a Pia, of the frozen southern sea; Indonesian Malay scale, explores of “the intrepid seafaring protagonist the sounds of the human voice and Ui-Te-Rangiora (650 AD) who sailed the beat of our souls, Hentakan from the Arctic Ocean, though Jiwa. But what is our response? “We the lifeless Atlantic Ocean across ourselves feel that what we are to the acidic Indian Ocean, to the doing is just a drop in the ocean. But plastic-filled Pacific and to the last the ocean would be less because of sanctuary on the planet, the great that missing drop.” Mother Teresa’s Southern Ocean. The kuaka can go words expressed so eloquently in no further south, so she hands over Ešenvalds’ A Drop in the Ocean, the role of navigator to the baleen remind us of our inadequacies and whale (Tohorā) who traverses the yet at the same time the necessity southern continent. Ui-Te-Rangiora for us to act. follows Tohorā south looking for the deity Hine Moana who dwells in the Southern Ocean. It is she who will give Ui-Te-Rangiora the final stanza of the ancient karakia needed that will prevent Vishnu from unleashing destruction on the world.”

Programme notes by Karen Grills Voices New Zealand 7

“… The oceans are under threat now as never before in human history. We can now destroy or we can cherish. The choice is ours.” – Sir David Attenborough 8 Chamber Music New Zealand

Voices New Zealand

Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, The Unusual Silence by Victoria Kelly with Music Director Dr Karen Grylls, at the WW100 commemorations in Le made its début at the 1998 New Quesnoy, France in November 2018. Zealand International Arts Festival and later that year won awards Critically acclaimed recordings at the Tolosa International Choral include Spirit of the Land (winner of a Competition in Spain. ‘TUI’, a New Zealand Music Award for Best Classical Album), and Voice of As a nationally selected choir of the Soul. the highest calibre, VOICES is a chamber choir that is flexible in size, With its distinct New Zealand sound, and capable of performing a wide performing music from Aotearoa/ repertoire. Many of the singers are New Zealand and infusing the alumni of the New Zealand Youth qualities of its Pacific origins into the Choir. classic choral repertoire, VOICES has established itself as the country’s Recent highlights include the premier national and professional 2018 European Tour to London, choir. VOICES regularly performs at Hamburg, Berlin, Aix-en-Provence Arts Festivals around the country, and Barcelona, appearances in Jack collaborates with orchestras, Body’s Passio, Tippet’s A Child of our Chamber Music New Zealand, Taonga Time and Britten’s Requiem for the Puoro musicians and other artists Fallen (all Auckland Arts Festival), and across creative genres. Ross Harris’ Requiem for the Fallen (also NZ Festival and Arts VOICES tours internationally and is the Festival). A sell-out gala concert with choir-of-choice for arts festivals and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was one of the special projects. classical highlights in the 2016 New Zealand Festival. Voices performed an especially commissioned work Voices New Zealand 9

Sara Brodie (director/storyboard) Sara is a director and choreographer (High Mountain Flowing Water) which from New Zealand. She has a MA has toured China, New Zealand and in theatre from Victoria University, Australia, Fault Lines, a dance-theatre Wellington and is a New Zealand Arts production for the Leshan Song and Laureate. Dance Company of Sichuan, China for the Melbourne and She has directed the opera premieres Arts Festivals’ (which toured to of: The Bone Feeder (Auckland Canada, China, New and Australia), Arts Festival/New Zealand Opera), Tracing Hamlet – a community based Hohēpa (New Zealand Opera/NZ immersive deconstruction of Hamlet International Arts Festival) Iris Dreaming (Wanaka Festival of Colour, Erupt (Grimebourne Festival), L’Oca del Cairo Festival Taupo, NZ) and Skydancer (Days Bay Opera, NZ) and Kia Ora featuring the New Zealand Symphony Khalid (Capital E National Theatre for Orchestra to introduce young people Children, NZ). Productions include: to the symphony. She was the Artistic Aindamar (New Zealand International Director of Stage Left Company Arts Festival), Nixon In China (Auckland from 2008 - 2012, which focused Arts Festival), Don Giovanni, Die on interdisciplinary works including Zauberflöte (New Zealand Opera) The Kreutzer and North/South. For and most recently the spring Opera Auckland Theatre Company, NZ, she Highlights tour for Scottish Opera. directed the premiere of Under The She has developed and directed Mountain and The Curious Incident of new work such as: Gao Shan Lui Shui the Dog in the Night-time.

Karen Grylls (conductor) Karen Grylls is Associate Professor worldwide, including the in Conducting and Head of Choral Marktoberdorf International Chamber Studies at the University of Auckland Choir Competition, Bavaria, and The and is Artistic Director of the Choirs World Choir Games in Xiamen, China. Aotearoa New Zealand Trust, the She is sought internationally as a managing body for the NZ Youth Choir choral clinician and regularly conducts and Voices New Zealand Chamber masterclasses and workshops in the Choir. Karen was Conductor and UK, North America and Canada. Artistic Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir from 1989 to 2011, and In 1996 Auckland University honoured Artistic Director of Toronto’s Exultate her with a Distinguished Teaching Chamber Choir from 2011 to 2013. Award in Music and in 1999 she became an Officer of the New Karen is much in demand as an Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for adjudicator for competitions her services to choral music.

12 Chamber Music New Zealand

Tim Gruchy (Visual Musician, Multi-Media Artist) Tim Gruchy’s extensive career spans Sydney Festival (2004). Theatre and the exploration and composition opera credits include AIDA Sydney of immersive and interactive Opera House and touring Australia multimedia through installation, (2009-2013), Ainadamar, Adelaide music and performance, whilst Festival (2008), The Leningrad redefining its role and challenging Symphony (2006). the delineations between cultural sectors. He has exhibited He is currently Art Director and multimedia works, photography, Distinguished Professor of the Digital Art video, music and performance Department, Shanghai Academy of Fine since the early 1980s as well as his Arts and an Adjunct Research Professor larger expressions in the public art at the University of South Australia. arenas. His works are held in private, His research has extended into corporate and museum collections. areas of interactivity, the human His installations and performances computer interface and performative feature in many international and interactives. Australasian institutions, festivals and He has also been extensively public spaces including WOMAD involved in museum design and (2018/7), Wenzhou Bienalle (2016), various projects at the intersection of Dak’ Art Dakar (2016), Auckland Arts architecture and multimedia. Festival (2015 & 2009), New Zealand Arts Festival (2014), SCOUT Auckland (2012), Biennale of Sydney (2012) (collaboration), Beijing 798 (2011), Shanghai Expo (2010), 2nd Asian Art Biennial Taiwan (2009), Melbourne International Arts Festival (2009), Adelaide Festival (1986-2008), and Voices New Zealand 13

Mic Gruchy (video designer) Mic works across stage, screen I am very honoured and and video art. He is a pioneer of video design for theatre, designing proud to be conducting shows for all the major companies Taonga Moana with Voices and festivals around Australia for over 30 years. He has edited TV, NZ. With new touring documentary, feature films and his initiatives for the choir and video artworks are included in private collections and museums around the intentionally innovative world such as MOMA in New York. programming, we invite and Commissioned works include for challenge more audiences the video installations for the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Olympic Park to be part of our journey, in and the Biennale of Sydney. His shows New Zealand and globally. have won Helpmann Awards and he was awarded an Australia Council As artists, we are lending Established Artist’s Fellowship for our voices to relevant and Interdisciplinary Practice in 2012. Mic teaches Digital Media Design and contemporary issues that Vision Technologies Production at the demand our attention and National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and has lectured in media at action at every level. University of NSW and University of -Karen Grylls Wollongong. Thank You To all of our generous donors who support CMNZ throughout the year

Founders' Circle Members Roger and Jenny Mountfort Anonymous Barbara Peddie Graeme Edwards Roger Reynolds Arnold and Reka Solomons Martin and Catherine Spencer The Estate of Jenni Caldwell Basil & Jenny Stanton The Estate of Aileen Claridge Alison Thomson The Estate of Walter Freitag Ann Trotter The Estate of Chisne Gunn Judith Trotter The Estate of Warwick Gordon Harris Anna Wilson The Estate of Joan Kerr Bruce Wilson and Jill White The Estate of Monica Taylor Ann Wylie David Zwartz Ensemble ($10,000+) Anonymous Trio ($500+) Robin & Sue Harvey Anonymous (6) Kaye & Maurice Clark Diane Baguley Gill and Peter Davenport Philippa Bates Peter and Carolyn Diessl Harry and Anne Bonning Professor Jack Richards Sarah Buist JD Cullington Octet ($5,000+) Jonathan Cweorth M Hirschfeld Children's Trust Hanno Fairburn Hylton LeGrice and Angela Lindsay Tom and Kay Farrar The Lyons Family - in memory of Ian Lyons John Farrell Murray Shaw Anne French Consulting Ltd Kerrin and Noel Vautier Belinda Galbraith Lloyd Williams and Cally McWha C & P Gibson Laurie Greig Quintet ($2,500+) Gary and Helena Hawke Joy Clark Douglas and Barbara Holborow John and Trish Gribben E Prof Les Holborow Ann Harden Michael Houstoun and Mike Nicolaidi Jane Kominik Caroline List Collin Post Fiona Macmillan and Briony Macmillan Arnold and Reka Solomons Margaret Malaghan Peter and Kathryn Walls Raymond and Helen Matias AE McAloon Quartet ($1,000+) Fiona McAlpine Anonymous (2) Andrew and Mary McEwen Donald and Susan Best Heather Miller Roger and Joanna Booth Margaret Nielsen Philip and Rosalind Burdon Prue Olde MD and MA Carr Robert and Helen Philpott Rick and Lorraine Christie Miles Rogers Roger Christmas Sylvia Rosevear The Cranfylde Charitable Trust Peter and Juliet Rowe Graeme and Di Edwards John and Kathryn Sinclair Peter and Rae Fehl Ross Steele Finchley Trust Mary Smit Dame Jennifer Gibbs Priscilla Tobin Patricia Gillion David Tripp David and Heather Hutton Patricia Unger Linda MacFarlane Richard and Elaine Westlake Elizabeth McLeay Tim Wilkinson Board Kerrin Vautier CMG (Chair), Hon Chris Finlayson, Hamish Elliott, Andreas Heuser, Matthew Savage, Vanessa Doig REGIONAL CONCERTS

Staff THE JACQUIN TRIO Chief Executive, Catherine Gibson Artistic Manager, Jack Hobbs WANAKA 4 October Artistic Administrator, Elliot Vaughan Outreach Coordinator, Beckie Lockhart Operations Coordinator, Rachel Hardie CROMWELL 5 October Marketing Manager, Will Gaisford Senior Designer, Darcy Woods GORE 7 October Marketing Executive, Aja Lethaby Ticketing & Database Executive, Laurel Bruce RANGIORA 9 October Content Producer & Comms Executive, Anna van der Leij Business & Funding Administrator, Rafaela Gaspar WHANGAREI 13 October Financial Coordinator, Yvonne Morrison WHANGANUI 17 October Branches Auckland: Chair, Roger Reynolds; Concert Manager, Bleau Bustenera UPPER HUTT 21 October Hamilton: Chair, Murray Hunt; Concert Manager, Sharon Stephens New Plymouth: Concert Manager, Cathy Martin Hawke’s Bay: Chair, June Clifford; Concert Manager, Jamie Macphail Manawatu: Chair, Graham Parsons; Concert Manager, Virginia Warbrick Wellington: Concert Manager, Rachel Hardie Nelson: Concert Manager, Clare Monti Christchurch: Concert Manager, Jody Keehan Dunedin: Chair, Terence Dennis; Concert Manager, Richard Dingwall Southland: Chair, Rosie Beattie; Concert Manager, Rosie Beattie

Regional Presenters Marlborough Music Society Inc (Blenheim), Christopher's Classics (Christchurch), Cromwell & Districts Community Arts Council, Geraldine Academy of Performance & Arts, Musica Viva Gisborne, Music Society Eastern Southland (Gore) Arts Far North (Kaitaia), Aroha Music Society (Kerikeri), Chamber Music Hutt Valley, Motueka Music Group, Oamaru Opera House, South Waikato Music Society (Putaruru), Waimakariri Community Arts Council (Rangiora), Rotorua Music Federation, Taihape Music Group, Tauranga Musica Inc, Te Awamutu Music Federation, Upper Hutt Music Society, Waikanae Music Society, Wanaka Concert Society Inc, Chamber Music Wanganui, Join the conversation Warkworth Music Society, Wellington Chamber Music Trust, Whakatane Music Society, Whangarei Music Society. Thank you

Core Funder Supporting Funder A special thank you to all of our sponsors and funding partners.

National Touring Partners

National Business Partners

Regional Partners Education and Community Partners

Key Funding Partners CMNZ recognizes the following funders who generously support our work.

Judith Clark Memorial Fund

Funding Partners Community Trust of Southland Otago Community Trust Trust Waikato Eastern & Central Community Trust Rātā Foundation TSB Community Trust Four Winds Foundation Southern Trust Turnovsky Endowment Trust Invercargill Licensing Trust The Adam Foundation Wellington Community Trust Mt Wellington Foundation Trust House Winton & Margaret Bear Charitable Trust New Plymouth District Council JUILLIARD415

2020 brings the best and brightest from New York City: Robert Mealy and Juilliard415. Next generation baroque, this 23-piece orchestra of lavish opulence launches CMNZ’s 2020 Season with a bang.

HAMILTON NELSON Thursday 27 February Monday 9 March NEW PLYMOUTH CHRISTCHURCH Monday 2 March Tuesday 10 March PALMERSTON NORTH DUNEDIN Tuesday 3 March Thursday 12 March NAPIER INVERCARGILL Thursday 5 March Friday 13 March

For more, visit chambermusic.co.nz/2020 Level 4, 75 Ghuznee Street PO Box 6238, Wellington 0800 CONCERT (266 2378) [email protected] www.chambermusic.co.nz