When Universal Studios unveils its latest theme park Volcano Bay in Orlando, Florida, on May 25 it will rumble to life with a strong New Zealand presence.
Auckland producer Matt Smith has overseen the soundtrack to the theme park's music, which will be unveiled in a live performance at the opening ceremony featuring Maisey Rika and TeWaka Huia.
The opening ceremony will be broadcast live on the Today Show in the US, which has an estimated viewing audience of 30 million.
"Universal wanted a Pacific Island production crew, to work with, record, and produce a piece of music and live performance that captured aspects of their musical / cultural performance," Smith says.
"Our first challenge was to record performances, so we went to the island of Espirito Santos in Vanuatu. There we recording the incredible 'water women', who's music comes from synchronised movements in the water. The sound they produce is incredible. The next stop was back to Smith's RedRoom studio in Helensville to record TeWaka Huia performing karanga, kapahaka and waiata.Maisey Rika's stunning vocals came next..
"We couldn't wait to hear how her voice would sit on an orchestral bed," Smith says. "Then we recorded Rarotongan drummers, who's complex drum patterns blow the mind."Having recently been on tour with the MMQ and NZ Symphony Orchestra, I met Chris Gendall (composer) and Hamish McKeich (conductor). I asked if they'd be interested in the project and they, to my absolute delight agreed.
"I sent the field recordings to Chris so that he could write a score around and under the pieces."
The next stop was Sir Peter Jackson's Stella Marris studio.
"It's an ex convent, with its chapel now lovingly restored and turned into a studio ideal for recording orchestras."
Along with Rika, TeWaka Huia and the water women from Vanuata, two other people, Krista Rogers and Rewi Spraggon, who made the cultural and logistical challenges work, will be at the opening ceremony.
"This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Maori and other Pacific cultures to a massive American audience," Smith says. "It is an audience, which to be fair, is largely unaware of the rich cultural landscape within the first nations inhabitants of the Pacific."
Kiwis help launch Universal Studios latest theme park Volcano Bay | Stuff.co.nz