As Tokowhā, they have performed widely around Wellington, including at Te Papa, The Beehive, Pātaka Art Gallery + Museum and Wellington Club, as part of Classical on Cuba, Wellington Fringe Festival and seven concerts for CMNZ on the Hikitia floating crane.
They will be accompanied by young pianist Alex Jefferies.
The group will also lead a fun, interactive and expressive singing workshop. The free workshop is one hour and is eligible for all ages and abilities.
Numbers are limited, go to rotoruamusic.org.nz for a registration form. Vaccine passes are required for anyone over 12 years and three months old.
Lila Junior "LJ" Crichton (tenor) is a NZ-born Samoan tenor who was introduced to singing at home and in the church at a young age, later moving on to bands, choirs, kapa haka and musical theatre and opera in high school.
LJ moved to Wellington after graduating from Festival Opera New Zealand's youth initiative, Project Prima Volta, where he studied for four years.
LJ is a proud recipient of the NZSM Directors Award, The Kapiti Chorale Vocal Scholarship and the Deane Endowment Trust – Special Jonathan Lemalu Scholarship, which has enabled him to work with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Porirua-based Youth Initiative Virtuoso Strings Orchestra and on an artist residency with Festival Opera NZ.
Matt Barris (baritone/tenor) found his passion for singing through choirs, barbershop groups and singing in productions in his first year at Tawa College.
Since 2015 he has competed at national-level competitions in a number of barbershop quartets.
In 2016 he joined Wellington-based Barbershop Chorus, Vocal FX. In 2018 he travelled to Orlando with Vocal FX, to compete in the Barbershop Harmony Society International Chorus Competition, placing in the top 10.
In 2018, Matt was appointed as music director of Wellington College Barbershop Chorus, Basin Boys, where he took the chorus to its first national competition, placing third.
In 2019, Matt joined Inspirare Choir and has sung in a number of concerts with them. In 2020, Matt was the co-director of FilCoro: Filipino Community Choir, and was appointed assistant music director of Vocal FX.
Having completed his Masters of Teaching and Learning at Victoria University of Wellington, Matt began his teaching career as Head of Music at Kuranui College this year.
Composer and performer Tomairangi Henare (baritone) has held a fiery passion for music throughout his childhood by participating in kapa haka, choirs and musical theatre before eventually joining Hawke's Bay singing initiative Project Prima Volta.
There, he was introduced to the classical repertoire and performed various roles.
His love of classical singing translated into studies at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music under the tutelage of Margaret Medlyn and Wade Kernot.
There he performs regularly as a soloist and with Tokowhā.
Aside from performing, Tomairangi kept his love of writing music by studying a double major in Classical Performing and Composition.
Morgan-Andrew King (bass) is a young bass-baritone from Waikato.
He is currently undertaking his fourth year in a Conjoint Degree of Biomedical Science and Music at Victoria University of Wellington.
Morgan has been singing from a young age and has participated in many kapa haka and choral groups.
In 2018 he was the bass soloist for the Cantoris Choir in Rossini's Petite messe solennelle, and toured as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
In 2019 he performed Faure's Requiem and Handel's Dixit Dominus with the Cantoris Choir once again, and he performed in the New Zealand School of Music's Puccini double bill operas of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, playing the role of Betto di Signa.
He finished 2019 performing with the NZSO at Te Papa as part of a mixed quartet.
He started 2020 in a masterclass with Jonathan Lemalu, and since then the bulk of his performing has been with Tokowhā.
Alex Jefferies (piano accompanist) is a performance student at the New Zealand School of Music, studying a Bachelor of Music.
He enjoys performing solo repertoire and is a keen accompanist and chamber musician.
He enjoys performing a range of music, and is currently focusing on the output of Beethoven, Shostakovich and Messiaen.
Alex is a dual citizen of Australia and Germany, and has been living in New Zealand since 2007, after moving from the Netherlands.
He has been working regularly with Tokowhā since mid-2021, and in late 2021 co-founded Asilence Duo, a four-hands piano duo with fellow pianist Shangrong Feng.
The details
- What: Tokowhā, vocal quartet
- When: Thursday, April 7, 7.30pm
- Where: Thurston Theatre, Kahu St
- Tickets: Door sales from 7pm at venue, cash or internet banking only, $35 adults; $15 tertiary students 18 to 25; school-age children free
Vaccine passes required
