SOL3 MIO (stylised as SOLΞ MIO) is a New Zealand musical trio consisting of Moses Mackay, Pene Pati and Amitai Pati. Of Samoan descent and classically trained, Moses is a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

, and the Pati brothers are

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

tic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

Albums and tours

The group's self-titled debut album, featuring an operatic take on a range of traditional and popular songs, was the highest selling album in New Zealand in 2014 and 2015, and the second in 2016. The album is certified 8× platinum and won the named award twice in a row at the annual

New Zealand Music Awards The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously called the New Zealand Music Awards), conferred annually by Recorded Music NZ, honour outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the recording industry. The awards are among the most significant that ...

. In 2015 the group released a cover of

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...

'' soundtrack song "

I See Fire "I See Fire" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2013 film ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'', where it was played over the closing credits. ''The Hobbit (film series), The Hob ...

" in support of New Zealand's participation in the

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...

. The group's second album, ''

On Another Note ''On Another Note'' is the second studio album by New Zealand musical trio Sol3 Mio. It was released on 9 October 2015 by Universal Music Group. The album debuted at number 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Cha ...

'', was released in October 2015 and is certified 3× platinum. At the NZ VMA's, the album won the highest selling album of 2016, being the third year in a row the group won the award. In November 2017, the group released a Christmas album titled ''A Very MΞRRY Christmas'' featuring covers of a number of classic Christmas songs as well as two original pieces written and produced by Moses. The album is certified Gold and was their third consecutive album to debut at the top of the music charts. Their annual tours, Christmas in the Vines, sees the group perform at wineries across the country. In more recent years, the success of these tours has seen it being extended past Christmas, subsequently having the name altered to 'Summer at the Beach', and 'Summer in the Park'. Every year the group announces a new charity they are sponsoring while continuing working with them in NZ and internationally. Among the charities they have sponsored have been the Dream Chaser Foundation,

The Fred Hollows Foundation The Fred Hollows Foundation is a non-profit aid organisation based in Sydney, Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eye surgeon Fred Hollows. The foundation focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems. It opera ...

, and the Red Cross.

History

Before the group was formed, 2008 saw Moses, 18, and Pene, 20, providing the backing vocals for the tour of

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...

. In 2010 Moses, 20, and Amitai, 21, were among five that sung the backing vocals for

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

's An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole tour. After individually being hand picked by Dennis O’Neill to further their music studies at the

Wales International Academy of Voice The Wales International Academy of Voice ( cy, Academi Llais Ryngwladol Cymru) was established by its founder, the Welsh tenor Dennis O'Neill CBE, to provide advanced voice, music and drama coaching to young professional opera singers from all ...

, the forming of the group was an idea thought of by the three in an attempt to fundraise the hundred and thousands of dollars they would need for all three of them to move to the UK indefinitely and afford the master's degree. In 2012, together with their families, they hired a school hall and performed to a half full audience. A few short months later saw them perform their first sold-out headlining show at

Auckland Town Hall Auckland Town Hall is an Edwardian building on Queen Street in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, known both for its original and ongoing use for administrative functions (such as Council meetings and hearings), as well as its famed Great Hall and ...

and they were signed to

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

the following day. In 2015 they were named Top Group of the Year by the

Variety Artists Club of New Zealand The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc (VAC) is a non-for-profit organisation and show business club. It was founded in 1966 and became an incorporated society in 1972. The VAC was formed to promote goodwill within the New Zealand enterta ...

, and again in 2016 at the

Pacific Music Awards The Pacific Music Awards are an annual New Zealand music award ceremony since 2005 that honours excellence in Pacific music in New Zealand. The awards honour musicians who primarily work in the Pacific Island style of music from the Cook Islands, ...

. In 2017 Moses played DJ Otis in

Robert Tapert Robert Gerard Tapert (born May 14, 1955) is an American film and television producer, writer and director, best known for co-creating the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. He is also one of the founding partners of the film product ...

's ''Pleasuredome'' starring alongside actress

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...

. During this time, Pene and Amitai were working closely with the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he ...

also starring in lead roles.

Personal life

Pene and Amitai Pati are brothers, and have a distant family connection with Moses Mackay. The three discovered their family connections coincidentally, being involved with music groups whilst they were all studying at the University of Auckland. Moses Mackay attended Rosmini College on

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

's North Shore, graduating in 2007. Moses was a keen sportsman and musician in college, and following his older brother being Head Boy in 2004, Moses was also Head Boy in his final year. Moses is one of four, with an older brother Marley, and younger brother and sister Matthias and Anasetasia. Moses' main residence is in his hometown but frequently travels around the world. Pene and Amitai Pati both attended

Aorere College Aorere College is a New Zealand co-educational state secondary school (Years 9–13) that was established in 1964 in the Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe. The current principal of the college is Leanne Webb. As of , there are approximately stude ...

Manukau Manukau (), or Manukau Central, is a suburb of South Auckland, New Zealand, centred on the Manukau City Centre business district. It is located 23 kilometres south of the Auckland Central Business District, west of the Southern Motorway, so ...

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...

. Pene graduated in 2005, and Amitai in 2007. Pene and Amitai are two of four, having an older sister Torres, and a sister in between the two, Fa'anenefu. Their main residence is in San Francisco, US. In January 2016 Pene Pati married Egyptian-born singer Amina Edris at a private ceremony at Villa Maria after proposing to her, at the same winery, on stage at the group's annual Christmas in the Vines tour in December 2014.

Discography

Studio albums

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sole Mio Musical groups established in 2011 New Zealand musical trios 21st-century New Zealand male opera singers New Zealand people of Samoan descent Opera crossover singers 2011 establishments in New Zealand Pasifika opera singers Māori-language singers