In recent years many musicians have experimented with the sounds of taonga puoro - traditional Maori instruments. Art music ensemble Tamira Puoro - Ruby Solly and Michelle Velvin - are the latest to reveal what they've learnt, in their debut album Feather Spines. 'Genre-weaving' is how they describe it - bringing together the sounds of instruments from both te ao Maori and te ao Pakeha. The Wellington-based musicians have been working on Feather Spines since 2019. Michelle is the principal harp in Orchestra Wellington, as well as a composer, educator and session musician. Ruby is a writer, a music therapist and taonga puoro practitioner who's played with artists including Trinity Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Whirimako Black. Lynn Freeman talks with Michelle and Ruby about the album, which is out now on Oro Records.