Internationally renowned Māori anthropologist, taonga pūoro musician, and award-winning composer, Rob Thorne(Ngāti Tumutumu, Tainui) has been at the forefront of the revival and renaissance of traditional Māori instruments for over 25 years. His groundbreaking 2014 debut album Whāia te Māramatanga (Rattle Records) was hailed for “successfully reimagining and reconstructing traditional Māori instrumental music for the 21st century” (NZ Musician), marking the start of a prolific career spanning six albums in ten years.

Blending tradition with innovation, Thorne’s work crosses orchestral, electronic, jazz, and free improvisation, leading to solo and collaborative performances around the world. His multimedia collaboration Earth Mother, Father Sky with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Raven Chacon premiered at ISSUE Project Room (NYC) and was later shown at STUK (Leuven).

Continuing to push sonic and cultural boundaries, Thorne’s performances offer a transcendent aural experience, deeply rooted in heritage yet strikingly contemporary.