Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho Wānanga | The Sounds of Taonga Puoro Workshop Series

SOUNZ is collaborating with acclaimed taonga pūoro composer and practitioner Horomona Horo, who is arranging six regional taonga pūoro workshops around New Zealand. These two day creative workshops are designed for song writers, composers and creatives who are interested in, or would like to explore further, the possibilities of taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments) within their own practice.

These are the first in a series of workshops in 2017, with the intention to develop the playing and use of taonga pūoro throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.

Find the session nearest to you, fill out a registration form for that region and get ready for your journey with traditional Māori musical instruments.

Workshops will include: • Learning about the traditional foundations of taonga pūoro. • One on one sessions with experts who work in the field of taonga pūoro. • Group sessions with taonga pūoro experts and other creatives. • Explore playing and the potent sounds of the taonga pūoro instruments. • Composition development through dialogue and the creative process. • Exploring the potential of taonga pūoro instruments within modern contexts and compositions through artistic collaboration.

Experts in the field of taonga pūoro will guide participants, providing a special connection to the instruments. This connection will allow participants to experience the unique abilities of these special treasures. Created from stone, wood, bone and shell, specially sourced from the NZ environment, taonga pūoro music actualises the true sounds of the NZ environment.

From the traditional resonances in customary song to the sweet melodies of yesteryear and today, bring your taonga pūoro (Māori instruments) along and upskill, exploring the different methods of playing. Attending this gathering will acknowledge the history of where and how these treasures have sung already, honouring the work of past practitioners, who worked tirelessly to revive the use and sounds of taonga puoro. Become a part of this illustrious history and the movement to revitalising the sounds of this musical artform.

Participants at this workshop are encouraged to bring their own taonga puoro (Māori musical instruments) so that the playing and composition skills they learn at the wānanga can be further developed and refined in their own time, well after the workshop is finished.

So if you have a koauau, a pūtōrino, a pūtātara or any other taonga puoro, bring it along and let your musical journey with your instruments move up to the next level…..

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”

4-5 March at Ōtākou Marae, Otakau, Dunedin 25-26 March at Wairewa Marae, Little River, Christchurch (CANCELLED) 8-9 April at Tauwhara Marae, Waimate North, Northland 22-23 April at Hongoeka Marae, Plimmerton, Porirua 6-7 May at Te Mahurehure Cultural Marae, Auckland 20-21 at May Te Kohinga Marama Marae, The University of Waikato, Hamilton

SEE BELOW EVENT PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS AND BOOKING INFORMATION FOR EACH REGION: Taonga pūoro workshops