Talented musician makes her way home

On 12 December, Beyondsemble will play in the Puhoi Hall. Having just wrapped up a second New Zealand tour with sold out performances at the Montana World of WearableArt Awards Show, and performances at the Nelson Arts Festival, Wellington Folk Festival and in the Hawkes Bay, these energetic musicians are bringing their incredible compositions Puhoi. 

Violinist, Jessica Hindin says she is happy to be returning to her hometown. “I was born in the old villa right behind the iconic Puhoi pub and grew up there until I was about 8 when we moved to Hatfields Beach. I have performed many times in the Puhoi Hall. First, at a young age, alongside mum and dad who were heavily involved with the various choirs and early music groups.” 

Jess’ father was the community music teacher and her mother recently donated a piano to the Puhoi Hall which the band will play on the night. Jess says: “Over the years I’ve performed there with various groups including my string quartet which was involved with the Kowhi Singers concert. It is really special and means so much to be playing there again.” 

The highly creative four-piece performs a range of music from around the world and will often weave such styles as Bluegrass, Celtic, Eastern European, Jazz, Tango and Latin to create an adventure in musical exploration, often composing new tunes on the spot in front of the audience.  

In 2009 and 2010 Beyondsemble successfully toured New Zealand visiting local clubs and cafes to bring their eclectic sound to local communities, many who have asked them back. Mike Nettmann in About the Arts said of their 2009 Kerikeri show: “How fortunate for all who managed to get a seat as the show was nothing short of pyrotechnic display of dazzling virtuosity by four highly imaginative and gifted musicians.” 

This innovative band plays some of the most exciting acoustic music to come out of New Zealand. Their delightfully fresh sound is full of texture, spontaneity and a tangible sense of adventure. 

The members are multi-instrumentalists which give them a great flexibility in terms of the styles they are able to cover. The eclectic mix of tunes and songs, both original and sourced, are executed with passion, energy and pure joy.  

The band members are: Craig Denham on accordion, keyboards, vocals and whistles; Jess Hindin on violin and keys; Chris Koole on percussion and vocals and Mark Mazengarb on guitars and bouzuki. 

About the band

Started in July 2009, Beyondsemble is the band that can play anything. The idea behind the name Beyondsemble is very simple. It’s a combination of the words beyond and ensemble and the idea is that the band is attempting to go beyond genre.  

Craig Denham

Multi-instrumentalist Craig Denham is something of a "Jack of all genres". Playing keyboads professionally since the age of 12 in many different bands of many different styles and world music traditions and also with storytellers and improvised theatre, he somehow seems to embrace the very essence of music itself. The Northern Advocate once described him as "oozing talent" and posed the question "is there anything this man cannot play?" Craig himself is much more humble about his talents and accomplishments and the tangible passion for his craft and generous nature shine through in his playing. You never know quite what is going to happen next and neither does he. Craig says that's all part of the magic of live music and what he loves most about being a musician. 

Jess Hindin 

After completion of Jessica’s performance violin degree at Auckland University, she travelled to Ireland and performed as part of a trad Irish stage show in Galway. While she was there, she successfully auditioned for the internationally touring world music show “Barrage” based in Alberta Canada. After almost 5 years of extensive touring encompassing 5 continents, she returned home to continue her career as a full time freelance musician concentrating more on writing and arranging music. When she’s not touring one of her bands, Jessica spends time in the studio recording for various jazz, country, and celtic artists. Recently she has performed in NZ with such artists as Harry Connick Jnr, Eileen Page, Boh Runger, Hayley Westinra, and Tim Beverage. She has been involved with many TVNZ productions inc 'Stars in Their Eyes', and 'To Sir With Love' Howard Morrison Tribute.  

Mark Mazenbarb

Mark is an Auckland based guitarist where he performs both as a soloist and also with a variety of musicians around the region. After completing a classical performance degree in 2006, Mark has become an experienced musician in a wide range of genres including bluegrass, celtic and jazz music, and has played with several top guitarists including Tommy Emmanuel and Hank Marvin. Mark has a busy year in 2010 performing at the Chet Atkins Convention in Nashville (July) along with several other concerts throughout the USA and Europe. He has recently completed his debut album titled "Acoustic Affair", and has several other recording projects on the go. For more info visit www.markmazengarb.com  

Chris Koole

Chris began composing and performing from a young age. Chris grew up in a musical family where he and his brothers learned the piano, before moving onto learning guitar and drums. Chris has created his own version of the cajon (box drum) as a way to reproduce most of the sounds of a drum kit without having to transport one.