Michelle Velvin and Ruby Solly Photo: supplied
Photo: supplied
In recent years many musicians have experimented with the sounds of taonga pūoro - traditional Māori instruments.
Art music ensemble Tāmira Pūoro - Ruby Solly and Michelle Velvin - are the latest to reveal what they've learnt, in their debut album Feather Spines.
'Genre-weaving' is how they describe it - bringing together the sounds of instruments from both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā.
The Wellington-based musicians have been working on Feather Spines since 2019.
Michelle is the principal harp in Orchestra Wellington, as well as a composer, educator and session musician. Ruby is a writer, a music therapist and taonga pūoro practitioner who's played with artists including Trinity Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Whirimako Black.
Lynn Freeman talks with Michelle and Ruby about the album, which is out now on Oro Records.
