WOMAD has just made the first artist announcement for its 2019 festival, which is taking place in Taranaki in March.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Acts include local soul sensation Teeks, Grammy Award-winning Beninese singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo, and global collective Silkroad Ensemble.
Grammy Award-winning Angelique Kidjo is a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress and activist. "Africa's premier diva" will perform tracks from her 2018 release Remain In Light - a celebration of the genius of Talking Heads.
Young soul sensation Teeks hails from Northland and has been making waves here and abroad with his incredible voice and accomplished stage presence. He won the inaugural Best Māori Artist Award at the New Zealand Music Awards last year.
The Silkroad Ensemble is a collective of virtuoso musicians from over 20 countries. The performers take time off from their roles in the world’s best orchestras and as pre-eminent academics at some of the leading music schools across the globe to tour with the group. Their repertoire includes popular jazz; traditional Vietnamese, Chinese and Kazakh music; Finnish folk song; Jugalbandi and much more.
WOMAD is New Zealand’s premier world music festival. It takes place every March at New Plymouth’s Brookland’s Park.
WOMAD Event Director and NZ Programme Manager, Emere Wano says, "Our goal is to sprinkle the landscape with experiences that exist beyond our own. Our hope is that everyone will discover something new, something that moves them and we can't wait to deliver and celebrate another diverse and exciting festival in Taranaki".
More about the artists:
Angelique Kidjo (Benin)
Angelique Kidjo Photo: supplied
In 1980 Talking Heads’ Remain in Light album, heavily influenced by the music of West Africa, caught the attention of a young Angelique Kidjo in Paris. Hearing it again years later sparked the idea of a full circle deconstruction that seemed only natural.
Using Afrobeat horns and percussion, and infusing the lyrics with new meaning, Grammy Award-winning Angelique brings her stunning twist on a classic album to WOMAD in New Zealand.
More on Angelique Kidjo:
Silkroad Ensemble (Various)
Silkroad Ensemble Photo: Liz Linder Photography
Founded by superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Silkroad Ensemble is a Grammy Award-winning collective of musicians and composers from more than 20 countries. Their music is a vibrant odyssey-scale celebration of world music and the beauty of converging cultures and instruments – from tabla to bagpipes, shakuhachi to strings.
More on the Silkroad Ensemble:
Teeks (Aotearoa)
Teeks Photo: New Zealand Festival
Having found his voice at an early age, 23-year-old Teeks, aka Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui) is a young artist with a big future. Brought up on a wide range of music from traditional waiata and kapa haka to Bob Marley and Elvis Presley, Teeks’ music is steeped in old-school soul. He’s got a velvety voice and writes songs have boldly honest lyrics.
WOMAD New Zealand 2019 will see the festival celebrate its 15th anniversary in the stunning 55-acre Brooklands Park and the TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth, 15-17 March 2019.
More on Teeks: