At only 12 years old, Rotorua school girl Zeeah Rona Waerea-Tamai is already hitting the right notes with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
Zeeah Rona Waerea-Tamai Photo: Supplied
This weekend she’ll perform with the APO for its Worlds Collide programme in Manukau. The free concert brings together classical music, waiata, Pasifika culture and popular show tunes.
Worlds Collide is hosted by Madeline Sami and features the Graduate choir NZ, conductor Ray Chan and APO Young achiever, violinist April Ju.
Madeleine Sami Photo: The Breaker Upperers
Zeeah Rona has been singing since she was little at Kōhanga Reo, but only started lessons three months ago with vocal tutor Elisha Hulton.
It was her mum and whānau who encouraged her to follow her passion for singing. She already has some musical aspirations.
“I love singing Māori songs,” she says. “I like stage shows so singing in musicals would be cool and also singing in te reo Māori.”
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Photo: Adrian Malloch
Recently she entered the APO Little Singer Experience which gives aspiring young singers aged from nine to 12 a chance to participate in workshops run by New Zealand Opera. One singer is then chosen to perform with the APO.
She’ll be performing Hareruia, a translated version of Hallelujah into Te Reo Māori. It was a special commission by the APO.
“It’s a nice song with a lovely tune and a beautiful meaning,” she says. “I would like to thank NZ Opera and staff and APO for giving me this amazing opportunity and experience.”
Thomas Hamill, Director of APO Connecting says the orchestra is working hard to make classical music accessible to all.
APO's Tom Hamill Photo: Supplied
“We want to make ourselves an orchestra that speaks to all of Auckland and Māori and Pasifika peoples are at the heart of this city and as such we are always looking to diversify our offering to speak to these communities and share the power of orchestral music,” he says.
This weekend’s performance is part of the orchestra’s Community Classics series. Each event is given a local flavour with relevant presenter and choir from the area to facilitate local ownership of the event.
“These concerts are designed to be a sort of musical hors d’oeuvre to get people of all communities interested in seeing the orchestra again at other events around the city,” Hamill says.
Charles Royal delivers the Lilburn Lecture 2017 Photo: 2017 National Library-Imaging Services, Department of Internal Affairs
The APO is also bringing various experts on board to engage with new communities. This year the orchestra has appointed composer Dr Charles Royal of Marutūahu Ngāti Raukawa and Ngā Puhi, to a two-year residency position, as the APO’s Te Arapūoru Community Commission.
“Through appointments like this we want to build partnerships that explore the creative crossroads that exist between traditional music from Māori and Pasifika communities and the western classical canon. To further this we are looking at ways of increasing our use of Te Reo across the programme,” Hamill says.
Community Classics: Worlds Collide – South. Saturday 1 September, 3pm. Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau
