Shannon harpist Shellie Hanley performs her unique Matariki Visual Soundscape.
Shannon harpist Shellie Hanley performs her unique Matariki Visual Soundscape.
It's as close as you can get to the feeling of swimming with whales and the challenge is to not fall asleep.
Shannon harpist Shellie Hanley performed a song from her upcoming album at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-pō recently that was so relaxing there were some in the 50-strong crowdwho nearly dozed off.
Touted as the only Māori harpist in the world, Hanley had made videos to accompany live performances before, but not to this degree.
Shannon harpist Shellie Hanley.
Hanley has teamed up with video engineers to make her music a multi-sensory experience by performing live to a video backdrop that had images of whales swimming and a kaleidoscope of rolling colour collages.
The music itself is other-worldly and hypnotic. Hanley has also played her harp to newborn babies at neo-natal units to soothe their sleep.
The new album features her angelic harp melodies to the backdrop of whale song that was captured in deep-sea recordings of whales swimming near the Kermadec Islands.
Shellie Hanley debuted her Matariki Visual Soundscape at Palemrston North recently.
The music also features Grammy award-winning musician Jerome Kavanagh playing self-made traditional wind instruments such as the nguru.
If you listen closely you can hear birdsong, too, with the sounds of kuia and other native birds part of the lullaby composition.
"I reach out to any form and weave it into the music ... bird, whale, wind, water ... it all has uplifting energy that is nurturing and nourishing to our health and wellbeing," the harpist said.
Hanley debuted the Matariki Visual Soundscape Video at The Church in Palmerston North recently, and this month wowed the audience at Matariki celebrations in the city when her video was projected off white cliffs.
A 50-strong crowd turned up to watch Shellie Hanley play a song from her new album, as part of a Matariki celebration at Te Takere in Levin.
Hanley is composing more songs with the view to compiling a new album. That's because people have asked for her for recordings of her music, so they may have it at home.
She's already finished Ko Aroha Koe, the first song off the new album. She also plays her music to patients in dementia wards, where she works.
She says there's no set destination for this musical journey. It's evolving and more ideas are coming through a creative process that's ongoing.
She hopes to continue to develop the experience and travel New Zealand and share her unique music.
"I want to share this for the health and wellbeing and enrichment of our community."
