O Vere Beata Nox
O Truly Blessed Night
Erskine Chapel · Sun 21 June, 4:30pm
O Vere Beata Nox – O Truly Blessed Night
Settle into the rich acoustics of Erskine Chapel for this concert of deep listening, sacred voices, and transformation, as we celebrate darkness and the turning of time on the night of the winter solstice.
Featuring the immersive ambient electronica sounds of Tonic Collective; a taonga pūoro quartet with Charlie Budd, Al Fraser, Sam Palmer, and Ruby Solly; and a very special one-off appearance by Orchestra of Spheres performing on gongs, chimes and other instruments.
They are joined by Baroque Voices singing rarely heard works of 12th Century abbess St. Hildegard of Bingen.
This is a vigil of sound, depth and stillness — a space to rest, reflect, and be carried by sound through the depth of winter’s darkest night.
Live visuals created by Erica Sklenars (aka Lady Lazer Light).
Schedule
16:30. Doors
17:00. Introduction
17:10 - 17:45. Taonga pūoro quartet
17:45 - 18:15. Tonic Collective
18:15- 19:00. Orchestra of Spheres
19:00 - 19:20. Tonic Collective
19:20 - 19:50. Baroque Voices
19: 50 - 20:00. Mass Ensemble Finale
20:00 - 22:30. Tonic Collective
Food and drink available at the venue.
This is a licensed event, U18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
MORE INFO
Taonga Pūoro Ensemble
Formed specially for this performance, this ensemble brings together four local figures of taonga pūoro. In their daily lives, Alistair Fraser and Sam Palmer are also kaiwhakairo and makers of taonga pūoro, giving an extra layer of understanding and depth as they play some of the taonga they have crafted themselves. Ruby Solly is a 'takuta pūoro', bringing her experience with both ngā taonga pūoro, and cello. They are joined by fellow creator and practitioner Charlie Budd.
Orchestra of Spheres
After a 5 year hiatus, Orchestra of Spheres return! Wellington's invented sound Dada groove masters play a special one-off acoustic performance as part of the O Vere Beata Nox event. Warping spatio-elastoplasticity with sound, OoS unearth their renowned self-styled instruments, unleash their arsenal of gongs, chimes and bowls, and unbox a range of newly constructed sculptural sound-makers for an all-encompassing sonic experience set to fill the resonant vaults of Erskine Chapel with celestial harmonics from the vast expanse of the omniverse.
Baroque Voices
Baroque Voices founded by soprano Pepe Becker in 1994, is a vocal ensemble that specialises in early music (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque) and also commissions new works from NZ composers. Over the past 32 years, the group has given well over 120 concerts; toured nationwide with CMNZ twice; collaborated with several orchestras, choirs and solo artists, and has been recorded many times for broadcast on RNZ Concert. BV varies in size according to the repertoire for each performance, and for this very special Lōemis Winter Solstice event an ensemble of women's voices will enchant listeners with the ethereally beautiful music of Hildegard von Bingen, written over 900 years ago...
Works performed for O Vere Beata Nox:
1. O ignis spiritus
2. O virga ac diadema
3. Columba aspexit
4. O Ecclesia
5. O vis eternitatis
6. O Euchari
Tonic Collective
Tonic is a DIY-ethos initiative in Pōneke, focussing on explorative, immersive, and enabling events for everyone involved. For O Vere Beata Nox, they will be presenting in the Ballroom, reimagining the room as a womb-like space filled with ambient electronic sounds apt for introspection during the dark night. Expect live and hybrid-DJ sets from Tonic founders Alice Rison aka Sister Mercy and Emma Bernard aka Ludus.
Thomas Arbor
Thomas Arbor is a multimedia composer, producer and audio engineer. In live performances he searches for sublime states, led by melody through lush, full-spectrum soundscapes of synth, samples and voice. Drawing on the organic complexity of nature using field recordings he sculpts them into evolving electronic forms grounded in deep harmonic resonance
Lady Lazer Light - Erica Sklenars
Erica Sklenars is a Pōneke based artist and designer, working across the fields of mixed reality, video art, installation, performance and intervention. Erica has toured Aotearoa and internationally over the past two decades, creating immersive experiences with musicians and sound artists (often under the pseudonym Lady Lazer Light).
