Mahani Teave (born 14 February 1983) is a classical pianist from

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Background

Teave was born on

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is ...

, to a

Rapa Nui Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...

father and an American mother. She attended the Austral University and studied music at the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educat ...

and Hanns Eisler Music Academy (where she received the Konrad Adenauer Fellowship).

Music

Teave is considered Easter Island's only classical musician. She began playing Western classical music as a child, and, after her teacher left the island, Teave's family moved to mainland Chile so she could continue her musical education. Teave has toured globally, including performances throughout Chile, Europe, and Asia. Her first performance in Canada was in 2014 at the

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...

symposium celebrating

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

. In 2012, Teave founded the Easter Island Music School, the island's first music school, teaching piano, cello, ukulele, and violin. She and her husband, Enrique Icka, manage the NGO Toki Rapa Nui, which helps sponsor the school. In 2020, producer and filmmaker John Forsen released a documentary, ''Song of Rapa Nui'', about Teave. The documentary focuses on her life journey through music as well as her contemporary work in

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

. In 2021, Teave released her debut album, ''Rapa Nui Odyssey''. It includes pieces by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

, Chopin,

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training ...

Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

and

Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

Awards

In 2008, Teave's performance of Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 1 (with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile) was awarded the APES Prize for the best classical music performance in Chile. Additional awards Teave has won include the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition (2004), the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition (1999), and Merit Prize (arts) from Andrés Bello University (2012). In 2012 Teave was selected to become a

Steinway & Sons Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...

Artist. In 2016 she received the Advancement of Women Award from

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

for her leadership and work on Easter Island promoting music.

References

External links

Official website
()
Performances by One Toki Rapa Nui and the music school on Easter Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teave, Mahani Living people 1983 births Rapanui people Chilean people of American descent Chilean people of Rapanui descent American people of Rapanui descent Austral University of Chile alumni Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin alumni Cleveland Institute of Music alumni Chilean women musicians Chilean classical pianists Women classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century women pianists