2009 International Peace Festival - Media Releases
Parihaka Choir to perform freedom songs at Peace Festival
A Parihaka Choir will be formed at next month’s Parihaka International Peace Festival
( 9 – 11 January ). Culled from festival-goers, the choir will sing freedom songs
from South Africa, Latin America, Afro-America and Aoteoroa.
Choir leader Stephen Taberner says, “Singing has been a powerful agent for change
in many of these places, and we aim to celebrate that power and find liberation
in the joining of many voices to a greater cause.”
Taberner, a Christchurch-born jazz musician now based in Melbourne, has been arranging
choirs for fifteen years, after joining Sydney’s long-standing vocal group, Voices
From The Vacant Lot in 1991. Within two years he had founded his own community choir.
As a massed choir leader, Taberner is best known across the Tasman for his work
with the 700-strong Choral Sea in Sydney's Town Hall (1996 and 1998), and the Millennium
Chorus at the Melbourne Concert Hall (2005). In 2001 he formed the Spooky Men's
Chorale, which has twice toured the UK. He continues to facilitate choral workshops
throughout Australia.
The choir will rehearse at a workshop throughout the festival and perform for the
festival public on the final day (Sunday).
Similarly, Wellington band Olmecha Supreme will conduct a youth performers workshop
at the festival; the teenage performers will also present their performance on the
last day of the festival.
Olmecha Supreme to host youth performers’ workshop at Parihaka International Peace
Festival
Wellington band Olmecha Supreme is to host a youth performance workshop at the Parihaka
International Peace Festival next month. The workshop will comprise beat boxing,
emceeing, electronic production, and urban dance. The workshop takes place on the
second day of the festival (Saturday) and the young participants will present an
actual performance for festival-goers on the following day.
Olmecha Supreme has been conducting youth performance workshops in Wellington for
several years. Called Sonic Infantry, these workshops have focused on developing
fundamental skills and performance techniques, as well as providing access to professional
performers in a fun and open environment. This is the concept that Olmecha Supreme
will present at Parihaka.
The long-term goal for the youth who attend the workshops will be to develop the
skills and confidence to perform in public. The young people will be encouraged
to be involved in all aspects of putting on the show.
As well as the workshop and youth performance, Olmecha Supreme will also perform
on the festival main stage on Friday night.
Olmecha Supreme’s Captain Imon Starr says, "We're very excited to be both playing
and bringing our performance workshops to Parihaka this year. It's going to be an
awesome chance to work with the community."
Other artists who will perform at the festival include House Of Shem, Katchafire,
Kora, Little Bushman and SJD. Films, poetry, children’s entertainment and speakers’
forums also feature in this, the fourth annual Parihaka International Peace Festival.