Sounding La Rosa

On Sunday 26 February La Rosa Gardens in Green Bay will come alive with musical sounds celebrating the park, people and the musical possibilities of the environment.
 
Melissa Laing, the arts broker for the Whau area has been working with Green Bay High School music teacher Jeni Little and the Audio Foundation to create the event.
 
“La Rosa Reserve amazes me every time I visit it. It has everything from a community orchard to a natural amphitheatre on each side of the stream. We want to celebrate it by sounding it with music.” says Melissa Laing.
 
The day starts with a free drumming and percussion workshop from 2 to 4.30pm open to Whau youth ages 10 - 20. Led by local musicians the workshop will teach participants how to create improvised music using drums, found objects and the bridges and boardwalks on site. You don’t need musical experience to participate in the workshop, only a willingness to experiment.
 
A public concert follows the workshop at 4.30 to 6pm. It will start with a short performance by the local youth created during the workshop. Audiences can then take a sound walk that explores the park, following the pathways of La Rosa Gardens to discover improvised musical works performed by Auckland musicians.
 
“The combination of music and our beautiful local La Rosa Garden Reserve promises to make for fantastic event. We hope to see you there!” says Whau Local Board Chair Tracy Mulholland.
 
Funded by the Whau Local Board, Sounding La Rosa is the second in a series of musical events that celebrates the waterways, pathways and parks of the Whau. The first sounding event was held in Archibald Park in Kelston along the Te Whau Pathway in 2016.
 
La Rosa Gardens runs between Lantana St and La Rosa St in Green Bay. The stream that runs through the gardens was day-lighted in 2014 in an award-winning project led by Auckland Council and Boffa Miskell.
 
To register for the workshop or for more information visit artswhau.org.nz or email broker@artswhau.org.nz
 
image: Melissa Laing, Sounding the Whau, 2016