Freedom & Focus Conference 2025
Voice Is Action
July 31 - August 3

The Freedom & Focus Conference is an international gathering open to the public
that includes workshops and performances
offered by certified Fitzmaurice Voicework® teachers and local artists.

Reflections on Freedom & Focus in Aotearoa with Perry Piercy

Warning. This is a long read! For a quick insight into the Conference and for photographs check FI social media. 

'Karanga mai! ' The shiver up my spine as we step into the pōwhiri, shimmering through my bones, echoing the tremors of our practice: friends, acquaintances and strangers, together we step into the process which prepares us for the four days of the Conference. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to have people gather, from all over the world here in Aotearoa. Thank you all for the willingness you showed: firstly, to travel so far, secondly, to embrace the guiding principles of our conference in Aotearoa, which have been, from very early on: To connect with the land. To come together and learn from Te Ao Māori and to be with each other ‘kanohi ki te kanohi’, face-to-face. And we are, at last.

I was very clear from the beginning that in drawing people such a long way across the globe, the uniqueness of the place they were coming to had to be a primary focus. I was fascinated by the dynamic between Māori customary practices of presence, grounding and awareness, and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. 

For me, this adventure started ten years ago, sitting on the sofa with Catherine, on a balmy LA evening, during one of Saul’s wonderful gatherings. I wanted to talk to Catherine about the ‘wiri’, the fluttering fingers that we see in Māori dance and song, the energetic flow and release, and the resonance I felt between our practice in Aotearoa and Fitzmaurice Voicework®. I voiced both my curiosity and my willingness to organise Freedom & Focus in Aotearoa.  It turns out Catherine had ‘always wanted to come to New Zealand’ and the rest, as they say, is history.

Undeterred by Covid, and a postponement that left a ten year gap between that galvanising conversation and Catherine touching down in Aotearoa, we did it! And it didn’t happen without the help of so many amazing people. Thank you Catherine, for that first conversation, for starting it all, and for being here with us. We got to hear you in conversation with your son, Saul, and hear about the book you have just written with Michael Morgan. Wonderful!

I’m grateful to Te Ati Awa Taranaki Whānui, on whose land the conference was held, for our beautiful pōwhiri, which served to make us feel so at home. To Toi Whakaari, the whare - Te Whaea, the staff and students who welcomed us, and particularly the director, Tanea Heke, who spoke so movingly on Day 3. Also, to the incomparable Miranda Harcourt, our stellar speaker on the second day.

To our kaumatua, Rangimoana Taylor, Nathaniel Lees, Robin Payne and Ross Himona, some of whom were a part of the planning process from years back, who met with me regularly for discussions and guidance, and who came to the Conference every day to share, to guide and hold thresholds. Your wisdom and generosity is deeply appreciated.

To Grace Hoete, our Cultural Advisor, and kaikaranga in the pōwhiri, who gave me access to her network of connections, helped point the direction in which we should go and shared many aspects of ‘tikanga’ - cultural practice, that guided decision making in our regular meetings ahead of the conference. Grace also supported me in funding applications, the money from which was used for the pōwhiri, and to offer scholarships to local artists and young people who would not otherwise be able to come. It also paid for the soup we ate at lunchtime. I'm grateful to the Fitzmaurice Voice Institute for their generous and creative attitude to the allocation of this funding.

This same pool of funding also allowed us to support Teina Moetara to travel from his home, 10 hours drive away, to be with us every day and support us in the practice of wānanga. Teina generously shared his time, his philosophical approach and his deep embodied wisdom. He also welcomed us into his ancestor, Te Hau ki Turanga. It is my hope that the conversations that arose during our time together can be continued, and we begin to build a network of relationships across the globe that don’t just last for the spell of the Conference, but that go deep, and speak to the aliveness and relevance of Fitzmaurice Voicework (FV) as expressed in the Eight Values.

Walking beside me for more than a year have been the team of FV teachers in the Conference Planning Committee, who were drawn from around the world. These are people who showed an interest at the last Freedom & Focus and put their hand up to be involved and to support. The framework of the Conference evolved collectively through meetings with the Conference Planning Team. I am so grateful! You showed up: monthly from more than a year out, then every two weeks, and finally weekly as the conference drew near. Especially Micha Espinosa, the co-conference organiser, who handled registration and finance, along with Kathy Austinson our tirelessly positive business manager. Robin Gordon and Su-Feh Lee, who attended almost every meeting, and guided us in landing softly and being good guests - which was noticed and valued by New Zealanders. Ellen Foy Bruun and Lynn Watson who curated the research applications. Amy Chaffee and Julia Moody co-ordinated the Performance Festival, a wonderful showcase of FV inspired work, expertly managed by Janis Cheng and her coterie of tech students, who did Toi Whakaari proud.  To the regional leaders, Fabio Motta, Petrina Kow, Malika Prasad and Budi Miller, for reaching out and activating your networks. Petrina Kow, for the T-shirts and bags, Beth Gudrenath and Bella Nolan for publicity and marketing. To Joe Nolan, for gracefully managing the logistics of the wonderful soup that kept conversation and exchange flowing at lunchtime, and powered us into the afternoon. Thank you all!

To all the Trems who ran workshops and offered their practice, their thinking and dreaming. The diversity of this content made the conference unique and tremendously valuable to all who attended.

Lastly to my Cert group, represented by Rachel Finley, who handled the bulk of the workshop programming, and consistently volunteered for many and varied jobs on the committee, and Lilian Wouters who was gold medal hospitality and creative super-fixer, (original and handcrafted T shirt designs and zafus too!) and Dart, awesome attention to detail runner and super star. These three were my support team for the duration. We shared kai, packed goodie bags, ran around on countless missions and laughed our heads off.

The conference promised ‘four days of rich learning and exchange’. I've been reading some of the feedback which tells of people who are ‘forever changed’ by their experience of being at the conference, and that they now have ‘a basket overflowing with awakenings’, and that they ‘gained significant insights into their own culture’ through being with us at that time.

This makes everything worthwhile.  As someone who does not work for a university and has no experience as a producer, this was both a steep and protracted learning curve: Working out the dynamics with our hosts, Toi Whakaari was complex and ongoing. Applying for funding to ensure that we could have local and indigenous representation with us. Crafting the language that would appropriately express the conference, working with our amazing publicity team, and taking care of all the aspects of hosting and administration.  These were all tasks that required building relationships, and it is this that I am most grateful for. To have the imperative of creating a conference that would allow for dialogue, between Fitzmaurice Voicework and indigenous practice required building trust and connection to the people who hold that knowledge 

In practical terms, this meant meetings, both face-to-face and virtual, attendance at workshops, dinners, performances, showing up and putting in the work. As a result my friendships with many people are deeper and richer, my knowledge is increased, my respect abundant.  I'm so grateful.

I send my best wishes to Sara Matchett, who not only stepped up to hold the mana of our methodology alongside Teina’s offerings in our wānanga sessions, but takes up the torch for our next Freedom & Focus in South Africa. I hope those of you who were inspired by the conference this year will be able to reach out to Sara and support her in planning the next conference. I'm sure she would love to hear from you. 

For me, as I sit here by the fire on a rainy Sunday, with the adventure of the conference behind me, I'm thinking, ‘how can we continue the conversation between te Ao Māori and Fitzmaurice Voicework? How can we support people in Aotearoa who have been introduced to free and expressive voice practice to continue their explorations?’  

That’s what I’m working on next :)

With love, Perry

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What does “Voice Is Action” mean to you? This July/August, we held this transformative gathering where voice met action, creativity, and connection.

Venue: Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand

Date: 31 July - 3 August 2025 

 

What is Freedom & Focus? 

Freedom & Focus is the international conference dedicated to Fitzmaurice Voicework®. It is a dynamic gathering where voice practitioners, performers, teachers, and artists come together to explore the relationship between breath, body, voice, and presence. The conference fosters a space for embodied practice, creative exchange, and deep listening—supporting personal Freedom & Focused, authentic expression.

Freedom & Focus takes place every two years to connect, celebrate, and strengthen our thriving global communities. It is a time to grow together, build new relationships, and nourish the ever-expanding branches of our shared practice.

We are excited to share that Freedom & Focus 2027 will be held in Cape Town, South Africa.