“Ko te ohonga ake o taku moemoea, ko tera te puawaitanga o te whakaaro”
“The awakening of my dreams, is the blossoming of my aspirations”
-Kauwiti Selwyn-
Kauwiti Selwyn is an opera singer and painter originally from Kaikohe. A proud Maori Cook Islander, Kauwiti has performed opera extensively around New Zealand, including opening for Sole Mio. As a painter he was under the tutorship of Theresa Reihana, a close relative to Jermaine Reihana.
“From the moment Kauwiti Selwyn begins to sing O Sole Mio (in Neopolitan dialect) onlookers are spellbound by the young tenor’s confidence and poise and captivated by a presumably professionally trained voice of undeniable maturity and quality. It’s staggering to discover he’s only just turned 16. If a comparison is made (and quite a few make it) this young man sounds like the nearest thing to Luciano Pavarotti to be found in the Antipodes.” – New Zealand Herald, April 2014
Kauwiti performed at the Woven opening event and displayed 3 paintings in the Woven exhibition in February 2018. You can stay connected with Kauwiti via Instagram @atiu_prince
