This highly acclaimed award winning duo brings together two distinctive musical voices, weaving a tapestry of original music, inspired by Nordic folk traditions and Celtic influences with funky twist. Their performances move seamlessly between deeply meditative soundscapes and uplifting, rhythmically driven melodies, creating an immersive experience that invites both contemplation and celebration.

Jon draws inspiration from jazz, gypsy, funk, Arabic, Latin, and Celtic traditions. His extensive collaborative work and the development of unique instruments such as the Ngoni Uke and the Guizouki reflect his ongoing exploration of musical possibilities. “ deeply meditative, impishly playful, jazz tinged” Irish Times  

Hanna  distinctive soprano saxophone style evokes her Nordic folk traditions. She’s performed extensively across a wide range of ensembles and projects to become a leading force in fostering intercultural exchange through music, co-founding Ethno New Zealand and Arts Connections Oceania.

The Back of Beyond Duo, featuring Craig Denham and Nathan Torvik, delivers a vibrant, genre-blending musical journey that feels like a warm, sunlit ramble through wild and wonderful landscapes. With Craig’s expressive accordion, piano keys, whistles, foot percussion, and soulful vocals anchoring the sound, alongside Nathan’s versatile multi-instrumentalism on guitar, bass, mandolin (and whatever else strikes the moment), their music weaves together funky folk grooves, Celtic spirit, Cuban rhythms, classical elegance, and heartfelt originals with well-loved covers. It’s intimate, foot-tapping, feel-good fusion—perfect for house concerts, intimate venues, and anyone who loves music that crosses borders with joy, groove, and storytelling warmth. Their chemistry turns every performance into a shared adventure from the heart of New Zealand’s creative music scene.

MudWood music weaves harmony vocals, intricate Guitar, and earthy world hand Percussion to create a unique tapestry of sound. Meaningful and conscious lyrics lay within the tapestry.  Ethereal Harp, Flute, and other melodic instruments played by us also fill the sound at times.

Music is our soul food and a large part of the medicine we share with the world. Our music is hard to define by genre.  MudWood Tribe is us with a blessed arrangement of splendiferous musicians in co-creation of a full and wondrous sound.  

We are grateful to have the fabulous Craig Denham, the wondrous Nathan Torvik, the fantastic Carlos Riegel, and the legendary Malcolm Foster join us on the EarthHeart Stage.

This is a set of original music written in devotion to creation and the Great Spirit that runs through us all. Songs range from themes of consciousness, gratitude for nature, plant spirits and the elements.

James Fenwick with AERIAL ROOTS brings together 'CoastalSoul' grooVes, songs & improVs inspired by their Coastal roots. James's smooth vocals & acoustic rhythms with Casey's conga beats & spirited vocals moves us all towards the new Earth's loving dimension.

As a registered music therapist, my musical expression aims to evoke a sense of depth and meaning that goes beyond a mere musical performance. Each song i choose to share carries a story, a message, an invitation for people to journey with. I sing songs in Spanish, Te Reo Māori, and English, as well as instrumental (allowing the instruments to sing their song). My music is soulful and rich with musical flavors from around the world, like a woven tapestry of world music. My intention is to offer an opportunity for people to journey within themselves and connect with the greater ecosystems that nurture and surround us.

Kāren Hunter combines the raw emotional spirituality of music with the sophisticated archetypal wisdom of astrology to create ‘expansive openings for the heart and mind’.

Kāren has lived an adventurers life; touring and recording original songs, sharing ceremonial sound journeys and workshopping diverse subjects such as creative songwriting, astrology, facilitation skills, and a cappella singing circles.

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Her first passion was to write original songs on guitar and this is how she will be answering the call to perform music at Forest Festival 2026

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photo credit: Angie L C

Jimi Dale has been teaching African drumming and dance throughout New Zealand since 1995. He is the leader of Tamani an African inspired drumming ensemble that also explores an Afro-Latin fusion of world music.
He has a deep passion for bringing people together through rhythm, music and dance. Over many years, he has invited African musicians and performers to New Zealand to share their drumming, dance and musical traditions.

More recently, Jimi has become increasingly interested in the connections between Indigenous cultures and their shared understandings of life through ceremonial music, storytelling and dance.

Using African-style drums, dance,  and songs, Jimi creates spaces that celebrate unity, equality and our shared humanity. He believes music and cultural exchange can help us create new stories, strengthen our connections and inspire a more unified future.

Piano improvisations, traditional folk music from the Middle East, Turkey, India, Japan, Tuva, and Scandinavia. Maqam inspired taqasim and group sound journeys that weave it all together. Piano, harp, soprano sax, bass, percussion and vocals. A soft and healing soundscape that pays tribute to some of the world's many beautiful cultures.

Eugene O’Reilly is a highly accomplished NZ musician who sings his own catchy compositions solo on acoustic 6 and 12 string guitar. Writing his first songs at Primary school, he made music his career from a very early age.  After thousands of successful original/ cover gigs in Nz/ Australia ,these days he loves to write record and perform his own material and has 3 Albums on streaming platforms under the name “Ventura 1” and a new upcoming release “Ground Yourself” coming out under his own name ! Be sure to catch his entertaining set of heartfelt, energetic songs.

Maima is a musical weaver, a wahine that weaves her voice & guitar together as one acoustic soundscape. Music is a healer, an outlet that has been apart of my life forever, a feeling that I love & long to share with other people. I have gone from being a little girl singing her heart out in kapahaka performances to a singer / songwriter living her childhood dreams of playing her own music up on stage. Allow me to whisk you away into my musical world... let me sing to you in Te Reo Māori, the language of my ancestors. I long for my waiata to sink you into the present moment, dance with the rhythm through the moody emotions that my songs convey. Let me sing to you as well in English about gaia, nature, love, friendships and hardships.

Family trio The O'Connors sing beautiful three part harmonies accompanied by guitar, with songs written by father Sean O'Connor and sung with daughters Acacia and Rosie. The songs reflect on life journeys through innocence, challenge, pain and peace, offering hope and inspiration and crafting beauty from the dark and light of human experience.

Far North Earth Beats are a group of dedicated djembe players, who enjoy practicing the tradition of African inspired drumming. We will be bringing a funky selection of high energy drum rhythms to the festival that are sure to get you up on your feet and dancing!

My reason for writing music is trying to touch the unspeakable qualities of life. Adrienne Lenker shares a similar sentiment saying that, ‘music is how I deal with the burden of having a physical body,’ and I think that sums it up perfectly. 
We are so confined within our human perception of life and all through history humans have had to meddle with this fact. Art seems to be the most tried and true way of extending our filter to what exceeds our understanding. 

Whenever my body is telling me something that intellectually I can't seem to grasp I turn to music. 

For the ears that my songs reach, it is my hope that the analytical mind isn't used to digest them, for the analytical mind wasn’t used to create them. Let my music speak to that part of you that needs no understanding

I have a soft intimate yet unique captivating sound which draws inspiration from the works of Nick Drake, Paul Urbana Jones and Leonard Cohen for reference.