Work
Matariki
for a cappella choir
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Chris Artley’s setting of Matariki was the first prize winner in the open category of the inaugural Compose Aotearoa! NZ 2020 choral composition competition. The Te Reo text refers to the star Matariki, who is the whaea (mother), surrounded by her six daughters, Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī and Waitā, and Ururangi. Matariki and her daughters journey across the sky each year to visit their tupuna (female ancestors). The English text is by New Zealand playwright and scriptwriter, Michelanne Forster.
The work was premiered by the New Zealand Youth Choir, directed by David Squire in Whangarei in February 2021. It also received several subsequent performances from the choir including one at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds on Waitangi Day 2021. Coincidentally, the premiere performance coincided with the day when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that New Zealand was to have a public holiday celebrating Matariki!
Difficulty note
This work is suitable for experienced school and adult chamber choirs
Dedication note
Winner of open category of Compose Aotearoa! NZ 2020
Text note
Text by Michelanne Forster