In this year's Lilburn Lecture Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal tells the story of his journey as a bicultural composer in Aotearoa New Zealand Using examples of his own composition, Charles considers the purpose of composing, the potential impact of concepts such as reo (voice) and kōrero (voiced narrative) as an approach to music and whether mātauranga Māori and Western composition can combine to create a new and satisfying whole. Charles Royal (Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Puhi) is a composer, researcher, teacher, musician and passionate advocate for ‘indigenous creativity’. He is highly respected writer and has received several prestigious fellowships. He is Director of Ngā Manu Atarau at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand. The Lilburn Lecture 2017 was hosted by the Lilburn Trust and the Alexander Turnbull Library, and recorded on 2 November 2017 at National Library of New Zealand by RNZ.

The Lilburn Lecture is jointly organised by the Lilburn Trust and the Alexander Turnbull library. Named after the New Zealand composer who instigated the Archive of New Zealand Music within the Turnbull Library and established the Lilburn Trust, the lecture is held annually on Douglas Lilburn’s birthday, 2nd November. Speakers are invited to talk on a subject of their choosing about music and New Zealand.