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Improvisation with three of Aotearoa’s most versatile taonga pūoro performers and an enigmatic young Pōneke percussionist.
They all played together a few years ago, in Wellington-based taonga pūoro orchestra ‘Te Āteanui’, and this will be their debut public performance together. Ruby, Al, and Ariana have played together in art music quartet Tararua since 2021, and more recently in Good Company Arts’ hybrid digital/live Pepe & Pōtaka Nautilus performance in Dunedin’s Glenroy Auditorium to rave reviews; and Ensai is a member of some of Wellington’s most dynamic acts including Mā and the Fly Hunnies.
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Ruby Solly (Waitaha, Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe) is a musician, taonga pūoro practitioner, and writer living in Pōneke. She has played with musicians such as Yo-yo Ma, Whirimako Black, and Marlon Williams, as well as composed for small group and orchestra such as the Auckland Philharmonia. Ruby is currently working on a book exploring the use of taonga pūoro in hauora, which was the focus of her PhD in Public Health.
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Alistair Fraser (he/him/ia, Pākehā) is a manu whakatangitangi a ngā taonga pūoro, a player, composer, maker and researcher of ngā taonga pūoro who has been making, performing and composing with ngā taonga pūoro since 1999. Alistair was born and raised in Ōtepoti/Dunedin and lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
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Ariana Tikao (she/her/ia) is a practitioner and composer of taonga pūoro, singer, and writer based in Ōtautahi. She is a New Zealand Arts Laureate who has gained recognition as a soloist with Aotearoa's principal orchestras and chamber groups. Her arts practice is rooted in her Kāi Tahu identity, with a palpable connection to place, and ancestral narratives.
www.arianatikao.com
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Ensai August (they/them, Pākehā) is a multi-instrumentalist based in Te Whanganui a Tara. They are a talented musician who plays percussion in neo-soul group Mā and The Fly Hunnies, and High Ambition.
Special thanks to Creative New Zealand for supporting Pyramid Club's programme
