⭐️ OPEN LEVEL WORKSHOPS w/ TUI MAMAKI (Auckland)
🌱 Saturday 17th October (10am-4pm) – Meadow Songs
🌱 Sunday 29th November (10am-4pm) – Mountain Ornamentation

You’ve seen us perform and felt drawn to the resonance like a flame, you’ve imagined yourself singing it too. Once or twice a year Medena Ensemble opens to visiting singers. Come to experience the matter of the music yourself : the resonance, tone, blend, breath, ornamentation, language, rhythm & community.

One Day Workshop Tuition = $130-180 “pay as you can”
Registrations: tuimamaki@gmail.com. Numbers limited

⭐️ FULL CIRCLE by MEDENA ENSEMBLE ~ WELLINGTON (20 September 2026)

Returned from the homeland of that exquisite vocal music last year, Medena Ensemble have integrated fresh ancient repertoire towards their “Full Circle” concerts ~ in Auckland on Sunday 21 June and in Wellington on 20 September 2026. This new song cycle is in honour of the magnificent, generous women who impart treasure and continue to nourish the river of song we serve.

🦋 Stories of Medena Ensemble’s vocal adventure in Bulgaria 2025
https://tuimamaki.com/2025/09/22/medena-ensemble-in-bulgaria/

🦋 Medena Ensemble’s “Daughters of Orpheus” concert, June 2025
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLekHmAvCDikecPvRHC_UnfAuR34APDz6M&si=qIO73bO69deZxcQ7

⭐️ ACAPOLLiNATiONS ALBUM

“A multi-lingual, compelling collection of folklore songs, where archaic musical systems are reimagined for 3 vivacious voices. In this performance, Tui Mamaki (French-Kiwi), Chelsea Prastiti (Greek-Kiwi) and Sally Howe (Cook Island-Kiwi) interweave songs from their grandmothers – both genetic and imagined – with a bespoke repertoire issue of Tui Mamaki’s love affair with Bulgarian Folklore. Evocative melodies, stirringly close harmony and stories we all know – of longing, harvest and transcendence – anew.”

RECENT PERFORMANCES:

KOPRIVSHTITSA Bulgaria, AUCKLAND FOLK FESTIVAL, EMC, WELLINGTON FOLK FESTIVAL, WORLD CHOIR GAMES, NEWTOWN FESTIVAL, Palmerston North Festival of Cultures, AUCKLAND FOLK FESTIVAL & WHARE FLAT FOLK FESTIVAL 2024, WOMADNZ 2023, ONEONESIX Whangarei, WHANGAREI FRINGE FESTIVAL 2022, 2021 LUNASA FESTIVAL (Takaka), NEWTOWN FESTIVAL (Wellington), EARTH BEAT FESTIVAL (Atiu Creek), 2020 WHANGAREI FRINGE FESTIVAL, SAN FRAN (Wellington), EVOLVE FESTIVAL (Nelson) 2019 AUCKLAND FOLK FESTIVAL (w/ Chris O’Connor), NEWTOWN FESTIVAL, LUMINATE FESTIVAL (w/ Doug Brush), ARTS ON TOUR NZ, 2018 ALBUM RELEASE TOUR : AUCKLAND (Unitarian Church w/ Basant Madhur), ROTORUA (Little Theatre w/ Angela Frank), WELLINGTON (Third Eye w/ Myele Manzanza), NELSON (Fairfield House), CHCH (Blue Smoke w/ Doug Brush), DUNEDIN (Bellamy’s Gallery), WHANGAREI (w/ Steve Moase), SOFIA (Slwntse-Luna w/ Kipri), CEVENNES FRANCE (w/ Piers Faccini), MELBOURNE (Studio One w/ Matt Stonehouse), BYRON BAY (Paradise One w/ Tunji Beier, Ben Walsh & Greg Sheehan)

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS: WOMADNZ 2023, Linz International Street Art Festival (AUSTRIA), Veroli Street Art Festival (ITALY), Auckland Arts Festival (NZ), Adelaide Fringe Festival (AUSTRALIA), Festival Musiques d’Ici et d’Ailleurs (FRANCE), Imst Arts Festival (AUSTRIA), Breminales Festival (GERMANY), Fusion Festival (GERMANY), Aarde Festival Amsterdam (HOLLAND), Sunfest London Ontario (CANADA), Alianait Arts Festival Nunavut (CANADA), Franco-Fete Toronto (CANADA), Gwanju World Music Festival (KOREA), World of Wearable Arts (NZ), WOMADNZ 2007 (NZ)