Trombonist Natania Ngawhau Photo: Lauren Jack
We are creatures of fate, but also of will. Sometimes one cancels out the other.
A few weeks after Natania Ngawhau took up the trumpet as a child, her teacher died.
That might have been the end of the story for most, but Ngawhau felt an even stronger desire to keep learning.
Fast forward to her twenties, and Ngawhau will soon leave Aotearoa to study orchestral performance at the Manhattan School of Music in the United States.
Along the way, she's moved from the trumpet to the trombone, immersed herself in the Nelson brass band scene, where she grew up, and is now close to completing her Honours performance degree at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.
Ngawhau spoke with RNZ Concert's Bryan Crump ahead of her final Honours concert at the NZSM.
She talked about growing up on a beef farm, her Ngapuhi roots (her father moved south from Northland for the surfing in Kaikoura) and how she discovered after the death of her Koro (grandfather) that he too had been a trombonist.
Ngawhau says her Mum and Dad aren't so musical, and it was a challenge for them sharing a house with a child who loved playing loud musical instruments.
Luckily, there was always the option (weather permitting) to practise outside, where Ngawhau discovered cattle quite liked to sound of a trumpet or trombone - almost too much.
She ended up having to practise in a tree because the livestock wanted to nuzzle in on the action.
Ngawhau's decision to settle on the trombone as her main instrument also allowed her to continue her other high performance passion, playing rugby, where she did well enough to play overseas at a junior age level.
No need to worry about finger injuries when you play a trombone;
"You could tape my hand to the slide and I'd probably still be able to play."
There may not be much rugby to play in New York, and Ngawhau is a little daunted at the prospect of moving to one of the biggest cities in the world.
But she's also excited she'll be getting to learn the tricks of orchestral trombone from members of the New York Philharmonic.
Despite her brass band background, orchestral trombone is where Ngawhau wants to go.
"Despite having to spend a lot of time not playing?" asks Crump.
No worries, as long as Ngawhau has something good to read, and when she does get the nod from the conductor, the sound a trombone makes is worth the wait.
