Mate Ururoa

Dame Gillian Whitehad

'Kaua e mate wheke, mate ururoa’ | ‘Don’t die like an octopus, die like a hammerhead shark’
 
Gallipoli, 1915. A captain in the Native Contingent disobeys his commander’s orders to save the lives of his men.
 
A true story of the heroism and humiliation of Captain Roger Dansey, a Māori soldier on the frontline of a European war, Mate Ururoa is an urgent new chamber opera from legendary New Zealand composer Dame Gillian Whitehead (Ngai Te Rangi, Tuhoe).
 
With the originally planned 2021 premiere at New York’s Carnegie Hall cancelled due to the pandemic, Wellington Opera is proud to present the world premiere of this important new work by one of Aotearoa’s greatest living artists here in Pōneke.
 
Performed in English and te reo Māori by Māori-American baritone David Tahere alongside acclaimed taonga pūoro practitioner and mezzo Ariana Tikao, with director Sara Brodie and Aotearoa's leading new music ensemble, Stroma, conducted by Hamish McKeich.