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

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) 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 renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Background

Teave was born on

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, to a

Rapa Nui Easter Island (, ; , ) 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 renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

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. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first dire ...

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

Music

Teave is considered Easter Island's only professional 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 university, 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 se ...

symposium celebrating

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

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

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

, 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 concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...

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.

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 New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...

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

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (), operating as Scotiabank (), is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's Big Five (banks), Big Five banks, it is the ...

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 Rapa Nui women 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 classical pianists Chilean women pianists Women classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century women pianists