Te Vaka
- Genre
- World
- Country
- New Zealand/Pacific Islands
biography
TE VAKA WILL PERFORM AT THE CORONATION OF KING GEORGE TUPOU V IN TONGA
The Tongan Embassy in China has invited Te Vaka to perform at the Coronation of King George Tupou V. The event is scheduled for the end of July and will include three coronation balls, a military parade, traditional dancing, a fireworks display, a rugby match and an open-air concert.The Rugby Match will be held on the 31st July 2008, 15 players from Tonga and 15 International Worldplayers from England, Scotland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Guests to His Majesty's Coronation will include the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester (United Kingdom), the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan., Princess Sirinhorn of the Kingdom of Thailand. http://www.tongacoronation.com
TE VAKA WILL PERFORM AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN BEIJING.
Te Vaka will be in Tonga for a week and then will head straight to China to represent the South Pacific with five performances at the Olympic Games in Beijing. This is a very exciting opportunity for the band who are growing an ever-increasing fanbase across the globe. They will perform in a number of venues at the olympic Games highlighting and promoting the South Pacific.
Te Vaka won two of the top awards at the 2008 Pacific Music Awards in May - "Best Pacific Album" for their 5th Album "Olatia, this is the most coveted award as it is the only "Tui" in the Pacific Music Awards, the group will be honoured again in October when the New Zealand Music Awards are held. They also won "Best Pacific Group". Although Te Vaka has previously won a "Tui" for their fourth Album "Tutuki" to win two awards this year is a well deserved acknowledgement for the musical path that they have taken.
Te Vaka is a unique 11 piece group from New Zealand, which since 1997 has enticed the world with the music, costume and dance of the South Pacific. From timeless roots in Polynesia, Te Vaka has incorporated contemporary influences to create something that is new, refreshing and exciting.
Te Vaka has performed in the USA and toured the UK and Europe extensively over the last 5 years, performing in such prestigious venues as London?s Royal Festival Hall and Ronnie Scott's Night Club. The group has headlined music festivals throughout Europe and been favourites at WOMAD festivals around the world, including the WOMAD festival in Seattle, USA.
Opetaia Foa'i is the songwriter/ lead vocalist of the group. The inspiration for his music comes from his multi-cultural upbringing - half Tokelauan, half Tuvaluan, born in Samoa and brought up in a Tokelauan community in New Zealand. Opetaia's musical background spans both the traditional and the diverse influences of contemporary metropolitan culture.
Te Vaka has performed in 26 countries around the world and released three albums to date which gained immediate worldwide acclaim and recognition for the group. Released through ARC Music, a UK based company, the album was distributed to over 80 countries. The second album, released in 1999 through Warm Earth Records has created an even bigger impact, going to number one on the World Music charts and on some countries? mainstream charts. The latest Te Vaka album, released in May this year, has been described as phenomenal, and seems set to overtake the impact created by the two previous albums.
Nominated for a BBC Radio 3 World Music Award 2003 in the Asia & Pacific section
Winners of "Best Pacific Music Album" in Spain, 2004