A celebration of two worlds of music is set to light up the stage in Tāmaki Makaurau tonight, showcasing traditional songs and contemporary music from across the Pacific.

The Mana Moana Project: A Fusion of Symphony of the Pacific is a collaboration between the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Te Tira Pūoro o Aotearoa (NZSO) and Signature Choir.

Mana Moana was curated by Fepulea’i Helen Tupa’i, music director of Signature, in partnership with Wellington’s Pasifika communities and orchestrated by composer and arranger Thomas Goss.

“Orchestral music is usually seen as a European thing, but when fused with our Pacific music it becomes a world first,” Tupa’i said.

The words mana and moana are commonly shared across many Pacific languages.

Mana means sacred, spirit, prestige, and power, while moana is the ocean or a body of water.

Organisers said it took some convincing for the NZSO, particularly on its financial investment in Mana Moana.

“It’s simply a symphony of love,” one organiser told Stuff.

The show will feature 13 songs from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.

“One of the NZSO’s chief goals is to be a national orchestra for everyone in Aotearoa,” the organisation’s chief executive, Peter Biggs, said.

The outgoing Arts Minister Carmel Sepuloni said she was “really proud” of how the orchestra was transforming into an organisation “representative of modern New Zealand”.

“It’s also important that diversity is reflected at the governance level too.

“Diversity in gender, age, ethnicity, perspective, and sector knowledge will help the NZSO to broaden their appeal, and reach new and diverse audiences.”

For Friday’s show, the selection of songs was led by Wellington’s Pasifika communities and included both traditional and contemporary songs, such as Faliu le la, which depicts the beauty of Samoa’s vast and beautiful landscape.

Siueli o e Pasifiki, written by the late Tongan Queen Salote Tupou III, proclaims her love for her country, and Isa lei – a Fijian farewell song – with the choir arrangements by Helen Tupai’i and Jadrah Tupai’i.

Community leaders helped Signature Choir select the songs according to their prominence and significance to the Pacific islands they represent and the stories that they tell.

After selling out in Pōneke Wellington in 2022, audience-recorded videos from the concert at the Michael Fowler Centre received more than 1 million views on social media.

Tupai’i said after the record turnout in Wellington, they were convinced the show should come to Auckland.

“There will be 80 choral singers and 78 NZSO musicians on stage in Auckland, showcasing the gorgeous harmonies and rich melodies of traditional songs from across the Pacific islands,” she said.

“Mana Moana highlights the connectedness of our Pasifika nations through music, telling our stories and showcasing our beautiful languages to Aotearoa and abroad.

“Mana Moana harnesses the huge majestic sound and varied colour palette of the orchestra.”

It also created a platform to tell the “much-loved” stories from the Pacific, she said.

“Mana Moana re-imagines Pasifika music by fusing the power of choral harmony with a lush and grand orchestra, making it a truly magical experience.

“Singing our songs in a unique, but still familiar fashion, is so surreal and fun, so we are excited about our communities seeing Mana Moana in person.

“Partnering with a world-class orchestra to sing songs that are prominent and significant to our Pasifika communities provides a huge sense of pride, so much so that it’s hard not to get emotional when performing.”

Former Signature Choir member and Laughing Samoans star Tofiga Fepulea’I will MC Mana Moana.

The Auckland performance at the Spark Arena starts at 7.30pm. For ticket information, visit: Ticketmaster