Modern Maori Quartet heading to Tauranga

The Modern Maori Quartet (from left) Matariki Whatarau, Maaka Pohatu, James Tito and Francis Kora.

Modern Maori Quartet will be coming to Tauranga next month to perform their signature cabaret show, An Evening with the Modern Maori Quartet.

Kicking off the highly anticipated first Performing Arts Network New Zealand Touring Agency tour, Modern Maori Quartet will be touring the country from August to October, stopping in at Tauranga's Baycourt Theatre on August 11.

Modern Maori Quartet have come together from different corners of Aotearoa to perform their signature cabaret show, An Evening with the Modern Maori Quartet, full of waiata, humour and charm.

A fresh take on classic Maori showbands, Modern Maori Quartet are a good looking, suave and multi-talented Maori foursome who love crooning their spin on modern and classic numbers.

The quartet comprises four talented Toi Whaakari graduates, James Tito, Maaka Pohatu, Matariki Whatarau and Francis Kora, who all lead illustrious careers outside of their work together.

In 2011 James Tito was nominated as Most Promising Male Newcomer at the 2011 Chapman Tripp Awards.

He was inspired by the Maori showbands and entertainers of yesterday to establish the Modern Maori Quartet.

Maaka Pohatu has performed in numerous productions such as the critically acclaimed Strange Resting Places and The Maori Troilus and Cressida, which featured at the prestigious Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Matariki Whatarau's screen credits include Find Me A Maori Bride, The Almighty Johnsons, Go Girls and The Pa Boys and for the last decade, The Pa Boys co-star Francis Kora has been a musician with (and now the frontman of) iconic NZ band Kora.

Their show promises a trip down memory lane into New Zealand's musical past and present as well as recent international hits, all with a unique Modern Maori Quartet twist and flavour.