Ockham Award Winner’s Poetry Inspired By The Whanganui River Set To Music

Whanganui musician and composer Elizabeth de Vegt has worked with local musicians to record Flow an album of songs based on Airini Beautrais’ 2017 Ockham longlisted poetry collection of the same name.

The album was recorded live in January 2022 in The Royal Whanganui Opera House by de Vegt and her band which includes Hamish Jellyman, Andrew Wetherall, Brad McMillan and Elise Goodge, a taonga puoro specialist who added percussive and melodic layers appropriate to the stories within the songs.

Months of rehearsals took place before recording began to perfect the arrangements. On the final day of recording an audience joined the musicians on stage to add yet another layer of context to the project, the Whanganui River community.

Prior to beginning the recording process, the musicians consulted with Te Rūnanga o Tūpoho. Renowned Whanganui artist and designer Cecelia Kumeroa, Tūpoho Arts Representative, and Sacha Te Utupoto Keating generously agreed to consult on the project. Their advice resulted in some alterations, and also affirmation that the music appropriately represents the Māori stories and kaupapa referenced within.

The album Flow is released by Wellington label, Oro Records.