'Tamira Pūoro' is a new duo featuring Ruby Solly (taonga pūoro, cello, vocals) and Michelle Velvin (harp, vocals).
They have recently recorded their first album. Instrumental tracks explore the relationship between taonga pūoro and harp, and vocal tracks look into the history of Aotearoa New Zealand's social landscape.
Michelle Velvin is a harpist, composer and teacher living in Wellington, New Zealand. She has a special interest in writing harp music and performing New Zealand compositions.
Ruby Solly is a Kai Tahu musician, taonga puoro practitioner, music therapist and writer living in Wellington. She has played with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Whirimako Black, Trinity Roots, and The New Zealand String Quartet as both a cellist, and a player of traditional Māori instruments (ngā taonga puoro). In 2019 she completed a Masters thesis in the therapeutic potential of taonga puoro in mental health based music therapy, while working in schools, hospitals, prisons and with private clients from iwi around the motu.
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