On tour with Chamber Music New Zealand, Awe is the musical project of Horomona Horo (Ngāpuhi, Taranaki, Ngāti Porou) and Jeremy Mayall, who will perform next Saturday, June 17, from 7.30pm at Dunedin’s Glenroy Auditorium.
In Awe, long-standing collaborators Horo and Mayall artfully weave together traditional and contemporary instruments, stories past and present, as well as different cultural practices and lenses.
Fuelled by the beauty and wonder of what can emerge between worlds, the sonic explorers create immersive, atmospheric blends of distinctively New Zealand soundscapes.
Drawing from their self-titled debut album, the Awe concert features some of their ethereal compositions as well as improvised pieces.
Built upon a foundation of piano and taonga pūoro, and layered with live electronics, Mayall described the music of Awe as "a fusion of worlds expressed through conversation".
"Linking various traditions and technologies, [it] acknowledges the past and also looks to the future," he said.
Horo and Mayall also use storytelling in their concerts, which will incorporate music from the local hapū of each performance’s centre and be informed by an understanding of mana whenua.
The duo responds to the venue, the place, and the people — a practice which often yields different flows and experiences for both the performers and their audiences.
"We have been fortunate enough to share this music in various spaces around the world, and in collaboration with numerous groups around Aotearoa, but it is a thrill to be touring this work throughout the motu as Awe, bringing our sonic explorations to new audiences and new spaces," Mayall said.
Horo is a composer, practitioner and cross-genre collaborator who fuses taonga pūoro within a diverse range of cultural and musical forms.
Dr Jeremy Mayall is a composer, producer and performer who works in music, sound art, installation and multimedia formats to explore the interrelationships between sound, time, space, the senses and the human experience.
Ticket giveaway
The Star has a double pass to give away to the performance of Awe at the Glenroy Auditorium, on June 17.
To enter the draw, answer the following question: Name one of the collaborators in the show.
Send your answer, along with your name and phone number by email to competitions@thestar.co.nz with the words "Awe Competition" in the subject line.
Entries close at 5pm on Tuesday.
