New Year beach concert on Rarotonga

Motone Productions are the people who brought Opera in Rarotonga and Divas in Paradise (among others) to the Cook Islands and they also arrange workshops and teaching sessions for young Cook Islanders whenver overseas musicians visit the rock.
Recently they produced a month-long creative residency here for Murray Hickman, an internationally renowned percussionist. As well as developing a composition to be performed at the opening ceremony of the New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington in February, Murray also worked with local drummers and children and as a result of this ten children from Aitutaki and Rarotonga as well as two local composers, Katu Teiti and Mark Short, have been chosen to travel to Wellington to be part of 'the big bang'.
They will join 200 young Nw Zealanders from Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland in a mighty group led by Hickman and Strike Percussion.
Alongside them in Civic Square, Wellington will be hundreds of singers from across the region.
Getting everyone to Wellington is an expensive business so Motone kicked off fundraising on New Year's Day with a beach concert featuring local artists as well as two groups of the young drummers.
It was a great success with over $1500 raised in door takings plus more donations from the floor.
Anyone in Wellington on Friday 21 February should head along to Civic Square at 8.30pm for The Big Bang, the spectacular free opening event.
(http://www.wellingtonnz.com/event/big-bang-nz-festival-2014)