Ariana Tikao as Musician in Residence London

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

2008 looks set to be a busy year for Christchurch based singer-songwriter Ariana Tikao (Kai Tahu). As well as launching her second album Tuia and arranging a national tour for later in the year, Ariana has been awarded a $10 000 Creative New Zealand grant that will enable her to take up the position of Musician in Residence at the Centre for New Zealand Studies, at the University of London, Birkbeck during March and April 2008.

As the Musician in Residence she is aiming to establish links and collaborate with London-based New Zealand musicians, including members of Ngati Ranana. Her visit will also be an opportunity to promote the Centre to other New Zealand musicians and artists visiting the UK.

Ariana comes from a background of of singing and composing. She began performing in 1993 as part of the folk group Pounamu. Drawing on folk, pop, and jazz styles with a strong emphasis on Maori music, Ariana's music is a unique blend of influences and sounds. In 2002 she launched her solo career with her debut album Whaea and this year releases her second solo effort, Tuia.

Tuia, meaning ‘stitched' in Te Reo Maori is a metaphor for the connections between people, within and across generations. One of the concepts behind Tuia is to celebrate the various threads of Ariana's whakapapa, Kai Tahu Maori and English, Scottish and Italian Pakeha descent. This bilingual album also includes Richard Nunns' taoka puoro.