Ivoga Green has always had a love for music. Her father mastered several instruments, her mother played piano. Both parents exposed their children to music from an early age that saw Ivoga singing and performing with her siblings throughout their teens, both in and outside of church. When she married, motherhood kept her busy in raising 6 children, but she constantly thought back to her years as a youth, and how the music of other songwriters helped to keep her beliefs and convictions firmly rooted. Her desire to write music that would help youth and young single adults in the same way became persistent, and prayers were answered when she began to write, a few years later, meeting Niu Ta’ala who became her songwriting partner. It seemed that part of their meeting was all in preparation for a major musical production they were to become Musical Directors of. Ivoga developed a new skill during the preparation, and conducted the 140-strong choir at the live performances.
A classically trained pianist and singer with a Bachelor’s degree in Music, Niu Ta’ala has been heavily involved in the Auckland, New Zealand gospel music scene, regularly training and accompanying choirs and groups to perform at a variety of venues, from church meetings, to the annual Christmas concert performing with the Auckland Symphony Orchestra directed by Gary Daverne.
To listen to something Niu has arranged or written, is to be transported into the realms of something quite extraordinary in its quiet impact. At the heart of her unique style are roots set deep in R & B Soul and jazz. Music influences include Earth Wind & Fire, Take 6, The Eagles, Chicago, Doobie Brothers, Michael, Stevie – to name a few. Her greatest achievement to date is being Musical Director of a major musical production seen by 10,000 over 4 performances. Niu over saw the direction of the music for the production, and led a talented songwriting team, that wrote the incidental music as well as the songs most of which she arranged.
