Supertonic - Space - Press Release

Supertonic, together with ELIM, are over the moon to announce they are going where no choir has gone before (probably) with Space: A Choral Odyssey, one-night-only at Hannah Playhouse, Wellington, 6:30pm Sunday 16 September.

Even before tohunga kōkōrangi used the night sky to navigate great distances across the ocean to Aotearoa New Zealand, people have been fascinated with the stars. Space promises to take the audience on a multimedia, musical journey through time and space, exploring the wonder and mystery of what liesbeyond Papatūānuku.

The first half of the concert will feature contemporary choral works including Whanau Marama by David Hamilton, which uses text from the 1922 publication “The Astronomical Knowledge of the Māori”, and Fly to Paradise by prolific composer Eric Whitacre. The beautiful harmonies of Sara Teasdale and Erik Esenvald’s Stars will be a glorious addition to the programme, while Robin Salkeld’s I Am Voyager will bring the personality of the Voyager 1 space probe - the first human-made object to enter interstellar space.
In the second half, together with atmospheric rock band ELIM, Supertonic will present a concept album- style performance, inspired by the work of the visionary physicist Stephen Hawking. This world premiere, called A Brief History, features original compositions from ELIM, choir members David Williams and Ben Gray and Music Director Isaac Stone, alongside established settings of Ave Maris Stella.

Supertonic is a 56-strong Wellington based choir aimed at singers in their 20s and 30s that seeks to take choral music to different places and new heights. Supertonic is well known for its innovative and no- compromise concerts, from those exploring ways to amplify voices that are seldom heard, to its all-out rock extravaganzas that turn the concept of a choral concert on its head.

ELIM are a Wellington-based 3-piece instrumental band that plays ambient and post-rock style music. As a band, they are fascinated with space and the universe, and this collaboration with Supertonic has afforded the opportunity to explore this theme in a new way.
Following on from Supertonic’s first concert of 2018, the sold-out Shakespeare’s Sister, Space: A Choral Odyssey promises to test the bounds of contemporary choral performance in Aotearoa New Zealand, and will truly be a delight for the senses.

​Concert Details
6:30pm, Sunday 16 September, 2018
Hannah Playhouse
Adults $25 / Seniors, Students and Children $20
Tickets available via supertonic.org.nz from Thursday 16 August
For further information or comment please email info@supertonic.org.nz.
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