Naomi Ferguson & Deborah Wai Kapohe

Ōtautahi Christchurch Arts Centre 2023

Photographs by Charlie Rose Creative

Quotes

Naomi Ferguson and Deborah Wai Kapohe presented at The Arts Centre’s Off Centre festival in March this year. There were several reasons why we programmed this concert: both are consummate artists and never fail to deliver; both are highly engaging and entertaining performers. The concert demonstrated bi-culturalism in action. In a festival programme with a number of events requiring ‘heavy lifting’ from a production point of view, this is a programme that is easy to mount, portable and would be adaptable to a number of venue scenarios. One piece of feedback from our audiences sums the concert up succinctly – A wonderful concert. Two lovely voices from different backgrounds. Thank you.
Chris Archer, Creative Director, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre Christchurch

The concert covered a wide range of musical genres, allowing the two vocalists to show off their impressive skills in a number of different musical contexts. It’s rare to see singers working at such a high level with this kind of musical diversity. The programme was perfectly chosen for the audience at the Arts Centre festival, and attracted a large audience of classical, jazz, and popular music fans. Naomi and Deborah have a rare musical synergy and their voices complement each other beautifully. The concert was so polished it felt as if they had been touring it for years. I believe that this would make an excellent tour, and the eclectic program will appeal to a broad musical audience while retaining enough standard repertory to satisfy more traditional audiences.
Reuben de Lautour, Head of Composition, UC Music

I adored every minute of this show: the warmth and humour of Naomi and Deborah as hosts; the variety and choice of songs, which surprised, delighted and at times moved me to tears; and the incredible skill the performers brought as singers and musicians. I recommend it to anyone who loves music in almost any genre.
Rachael King, writer, festival director 

In a rare moment to myself I was (finally) able to catch Deborah Wai Kapohe and Naomi Ferguson’s show at Off Centre Festival. 

Naomi is well known for her commitment to administering creative practices in our city so we can thrive, but it can be challenging for arts administrators, who are often women, to find the time and energy to continue with their own creative practice. I was thrilled then, to see Naomi in her element sharing her stories. 

This work was also personal for me. Growing up in Ōtautahi, there were few role models who looked and sounded like me in creative practices and public spaces outside of hapū based events, therefore when Deborah entered into the public sphere, it was a burgeoning moment for Māori representation and a pivotal moment for my own trajectory into the arts. 

This is a powerful and thought-provoking work. At one stage the person beside me began to cry, we shared a moment of reflection and I was reminded that in the aftermath of so much trauma, how our city storytellers have played a vital role in our city’s healing and rebuilding process. While access to resources continues to be a hurdle, and without resources it’s difficult for our artists to stay here and to continue the work for the next generation, this is a show that remains hopeful. This show reflects the profound impact of storytelling in our communities through a lens that is uniquely Te Waipounamu, wāhine and Te Tiriti focussed. 
Juanita Hepi, Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngati Wai, Ngāpuhi, multidisciplinary storyteller