Artfully adrift in the South seas, Sani resurfaces at VFD with a tide of musical and anecdotal reflections.
Part opera, Part song, full story…
“Cabaret Frangipani”
With David Harrod on keyboard
Expect Puccini, Leoncavallo, Gershwin, alongside original songs and selections from Sani's musicals Kava Girls & Baba the Bad Baboon.
Doors at 7pm, show begins 7:30pm, running time 60 minutes, no interval
About Sani
‘A tenor with baritone richness, Sani Muliaumaeali’i was outstanding’
The Guardian
Sani Muliaumaseali'i is a distinguished layered art exponent - A renowned artist, director, writer, producer, composer, choreographer and operatic tenor. A Samoan he splits between the UK and Aotearoa New Zealand, SANI’S work draws deeply from his Pacific heritage, offering unique and bold reimaginings of classical genres like opera, theatre, and music. Sani honed his vocal skills under the guidance of Harry Coghill and Anna Sweeny at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Australia, which laid the foundation for his illustrious career in opera, theatre, film, television, and radio. His career spans prestigious global institutions such as the English National Opera (ENO) and the Royal Ballet and opera, Covent Garden, Sydney Opera House Theatre and der Wein and others..
He is particularly known for his groundbreaking creation of RinGAFA: The Power of Love of Power(2021), a reworking of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen that blends Pacific gods with Nordic mythology. This ambitious reimagining garnered widespread acclaim and was performed by the Rosenau Sinfonia with an international cast. Siliga Sani's work through the GAFA Arts Collective, Europe’s first Samoan arts collective, has been a cornerstone of his artistic output. His inaugural piece, GAFA: A Family Called Samoa (2012), showcased at Testbed1 in Battersea and later at the Origins Festival London and the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam, introduced his signature layered art approach, blending Pacific narratives with contemporary performance styles.
Further exploring his cultural roots, Sani’s Talune (2018), a poignant play commemorating the Samoan victims of the 1918 flu pandemic, premiered at New Zealand House in London. His work in musical theatre includes Kava Girls(2014), a critically acclaimed play with songs, which was selected as a "Pick of the Edinburgh Fringe" and featured at the Origins Festival (2015) and UK Pride Tour (2016).
His children’s musical Baba the Bad Baboon (2017) also showcased his versatile talent, having been presented at the Origins Festival and Wandsworth Fringe. Sani has curated and produced high-profile concerts with a focus on cultural and environmental themes, such as Pacific Voices (2013) at Chelsea Town Hall and Opera Sustains the World (2016) at Battersea Park, aimed at raising awareness of climate change. His The Messiah Pazifik (2017) reimagined Handel's Messiah to reflect the arrival of Christianity in Samoa, performed at St Mary’s Putney. In 2018, he staged Sunday MASSive, a dramatic concert series to honor the victims of the 1918 flu pandemic, blending sacred music with historical remembrance.
During the COVID-19 pandemic Siliga Sani returned to AotearoaNZ and served as the first Pacific-origin presenter for RNZ Concert, where he hosted the Siliga Sani Sunrise breakfast show. After a year, he returned to his first passion—theatre—and founded 3spresents LTD - Siliga Sani Samoa. 3SP presented, Common Ground, showcasing sibling artists Luana and James Asiata in 2023. In 2024, Siliga Sani wrote, performed, and directed ‘The Mario Lanza Valentine’s fantasy’ for the Aronui Indigenous arts festival, Rotorua, alongside Maisey Rika.
His final work for 2024 was The O.Gs: A Concert in Motion, celebrating the original Pacific opera singers, featured at the 2024 Auckland Arts Festival. His work continues to break new ground by fusing Pacific identity with global artistic forms, leaving an indelible mark on both the theatre and opera worlds. In 2013 Sani was bestowed with the honour of the Matai title / Samoan chief, Siliga from Vaitele, Upolu, Samoa. He is also known as Siliga Sani.
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