Receiving a standing ovation from a full house at the New Zealand Festival of the Arts in 2020, Shades of Shakti is a true East- meets- West collaboration. Bridging the gap between traditional Indian music and jazz, this intercultural group of musicians present an energetic and spellbinding performance. The ensemble features master Indian musician Sangeet Mishra, performing on sarangi, New Zealand guitar virtuoso Justin Firefly Clarke, North Indian tabla maestro Basant Madhur, the brilliant violin playing of Monique Lapins and the intricate drumming of Thomas Friggens.
Skin Hunger Friday 27th Oct, 6pm
Brazilian-born actress and playwright Tatiana Hotere survived a range of deep emotions trying to overcome the grief of her husband, Jason Hotere’s, sudden death. The result of these emotions is Skin Hunger, winner of several 2022 Auckland Fringe awards including Outstanding Performance.
Ko Au Malosi, Friday 27th Oct, 7.30pm and Saturday 28th Oct, 9pm
From the creators of last year’s Festival gem Ko Au, comes Ko Au: Malosi, a powerful collaborative piece created and directed by Seidah Tuaoi and Joshua Mitikulena, and featuring Pasifika creatives from Aotearoa, Australia, and the USA. Set within St Matthew’s Anglican Church, audiences are invited to interact and reflect on the notion of strength as they journey through beautiful spaces activated with dance, spoken poetry and song to tell a story of hope.
Grada, Friday 27th Oct, 8.30pm
Laying claim to a raft of awards and rave reviews spanning a 20-year period, Irish supergroup Gráda has reunited in 2023 to tour Ireland and New Zealand. Rooted in traditional Irish music with influences from folk, jazz, world music and Americana, the band has been described as being “to Irish music what Arcade Fire is to Indie – informal, prodigious and full of spirit” (The Washington Post).
UPU, Saturday 28th Oct, 7pm
In Samoan, “upu” means “word”, and, when curated by award-winning poet Grace Iwashita-Taylor and led by powerhouse director Fasitua Amosa, UPU turns into performative poetry at its very best. Ben Brown, Karlo Mila, Albert Wendt and more: UPU is for the trailblazers, the icons and the new writers transforming Aotearoa today.
Second-Hand Time and Voices and the End, Sunday 29th Oct, 5.30pm
Two of New Zealand’s most respected musicians, Arts Foundation Laureate Michael Houstoun, regarded as New Zealand’s leading concert pianist, and internationally acclaimed composer John Psathas, join forces for an extraordinary programme in which they explore some of the most pressing issues confronting our world today.
Jenny Mitchell and the Mitchell Twins, Sunday 29th Oct, 8pm
Jenny Mitchell started out performing at the Gore Country Music Club at the tender age of 4. She’s come a long way since then with three albums, an Aotearoa Music Award and 2x Australian Golden Guitar nominations to her name. Her first original songs were penned at age 11, inspired by a trip to Ireland where she met her grandparents’ families and felt a deep connection to the places and people of the Emerald Isle.
Closing out the Festival, Jenny Mitchell and the Mitchell Twins will bring their folk/alt-country sound along with a full band featuring storytelling, fiddle and family harmonies for a night of soulful songs wrapped in wisdom and wit.
For further events and ideas on how to create a wonderful weekend full of the arts in Hawke’s Bay, visit www.hbaf.co.nz
