Meet The Team

Marieke Nation is Music Specialist at Te Kōwhai School where she teaches classroom music, directs a choir and teaches singing amongst other musical things. She also directs the choir at Te Rauhii - a scholarship music programme in Nawton after school and at the Waldorf School.

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Marieke was born in the Netherlands, where choral music is an integral part of the culture and brought up in a family where singing was a part of daily life. From there her interest in choral music grew.

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Marieke married into a family of musicians. She has been involved in the Suzuki community for many years and enjoys busking in the Coromandel over the summer holidays in the band 'The Nations'

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Marieke studied at Waikato University, graduating with a Bachelor of Education endorsed with Music.  

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Marieke teaches music with an emphasis on Orff and Kodaly based learning and she is passionate about singing and taking choirs. Her focus is on creating beautiful children's choirs that uplift those in the choir and those around them.

Marieke creates an inspiring environment that challenges and enhances the singing of the children in a fun and fulfilling way, where the children feel empowered and a strong sense of belonging. 

Jane Martin has been singing in vocal groups since she was six years old and directing them for more than 20 years.

Currently a voice teacher at various
secondary schools around the Waikato, Jane likes nothing more than bringing people together and sharing the magic of singing.
 

Jane has a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University in Wellington, and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from Waikato University.
 

She currently sings in a competitive Barbershop quartet, and is the singing voice of a cartoon beaver named Betty who teaches English online.
 

Jane has two small children who are very excited to take the Tron Songsters journey together with their mother.

Jodi's bio to come...

Angela’s musical journey began at the age of eight when she started learning the piano from her dad! She began accompanying choirs at the age of 14, both at church and at Otumoetai College. Angela came to Hamilton for university where she completed a BA degree (majoring in music) in 1994, spent a year doing Secondary Teacher training in 1996, and in 1997 she gained her LTCL Teachers Qualification from Trinity College, London. Over the years Angela has played for shows with Riverlea Theatre, accompanied the Waikato Secondary Schools choir with Sue Shepherd, and the Waikato Youth Choir with the late Dr Julie Jackson-Gogh. In more recent years she has played for numerous shows for Southwell School, St Pauls Collegiate and Waikato Dio. Angela has been the accompanist for Male Voices Waikato since 2006 with Sean Kelly,  and currently works at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls where she is the school pianist for chapel services as well as accompanying Cantiamo and Bel Suono choirs under the direction of Maria Colvin. Angela enjoys arranging and composing music for choirs and is very thrilled to have her creations sung. She is also the very proud mum of three beautiful young people!!

Samara loves being a part of the music scene in Hamilton. She enjoys playing viola in many orchestra’s including Youth Orchestra Waikato, Hamilton Pops orchestra, and OPUS orchestra and  the violin in The Nations Band.

She is currently studying a Bachelor of Music at Waikato University under the tutelage of Dr Lara Hall.
She is majoring in Classical Performance and is in her second year. As well as performing she also enjoys composing music

Samara was in Bel Suono at Waikato Diocesan School for Girls with Maria Colvin and The Chamber Choir at Saint Paul's Collegiate with Tim Carpenter and then Timothy Wain-Wright and loves to sing.

She helps with the Tron Songsters children's community choir where she is a choir assistant.

Samara teaches violin at a number of schools around Hamilton and is also working at Te Rauhii and with the Junior Tron Songster Choir. 

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For more information about lessons on the violin please contact Samara  via email on nationsamara@gmail.com

Millie is originally from Christchurch and has moved to Hamilton to study a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance at the University of Waikato. Her interest in music began with the violin in primary school, but she quickly found that voice was her passion. She has been heavily involved the music scene for the entirety of her education and began singing classically at the age of 13 through her high school choirs. She quickly became a core member of the music community, holding the Head of Choir role in her final year of school. She is currently in her second year of study at the university under the tutelage of Anna Leese.

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Millie loves to sing in ensembles and was in the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir – alongside Izzie – for the 2021-22 cycle. She performs regularly with the university voice department and welcomes every musical opportunity. Professionally, she has performed with the New Zealand Opera in their 2022 Christchurch season of Verdi’s Macbeth, and with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in their production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in 2023.

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She has recently joined the Tron Songsters team, as she loves to share her passion for voice with young students. Millie loves to keep music learning fun and positive and has a keen interest in vocal health and technique. Outside of voice, she loves composition and is exploring this at university alongside singing.

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For information about voice lessons, please contact Millie via email at millie.trusttum@gmail.com

​Kaia is a kaiāwhina at the Junior Tron Song where she helps with singing and joins in with the fun!

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Kaia is a singing assistant at the Tron Songsters Children's Choir.

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Kaia plays violin and viola and plays in the Waikato Diocesan School Orchestra. She also sings in Bel Suono and Cantiamo directed by Maria Colvin.

​Amy is a kaiāwhina at the Junior Tron Song where she helps with singing and joins in with the fun!

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Amy is a singing assistant at the Tron Songsters Children's Choir.

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Amy plays violin and plays in the Waikato Diocesan School Orchestra. She also sings in Bel Suono and Cantiamo directed by Maria Colvin.

Daniella aka Della is an artist, leather worker and general handy woman. Della is passionate about art and education, she is proud to be getting involved in the Hamilton music scene through Suzuki music and the Tron Songsters Choir. Her children Thea and Margot are in the junior choir, Della will be on hand at rehearsals if you have questions or suggestions.