Rosaivitilesaualofaoleola Konousi Solomona
Key Music Relay Leader for Samoa
Rosaivitilesaualofaoleola Konousi Solomona
Samoa
Soprano and Classical Strings Music teacher, Rosaivitilesaualofaoleola Konousi Solomona, is the Key Leader for the heart of the Pacific, Samoa
Rosaiviti was a founding Violinist of the first String Ensemble of the University of the South Pacific (Fiji) when she was 12 years old, the First Chair Violinist of the first National Orchestra of Samoa in 2006 and since then has been focusing on her singing and expanding her interest in Music Education.
In the last 12 years, Rosaiviti was a dedicated music and performing arts tutor at the National University of Samoa and coordinator for the University’s Community Music Program with her main focus on Contemporary dance, classical strings, and voice and choral studies. 2024 is a big year for her moving away from Public Service with her two partners (Violinist and Business Administrator Olivia Hogarth-Khasanov and Philton Solomona, Classical Pianist, producer, conductor, educator and composer) to establish what they believe to be a needed “shift in re-thinking quality and contextualised learning” for our Pasefika young minds, through Sol Fa Music Samoa. Though based in Samoa, SFMS aims to contribute a more holistic, merit-based and relevant curriculum and services tailored to the needs, the gaps, the potentials and the context that is uniquely Samoan and Pasefika.
In 2011, she founded the annual concert “Beautiful September” to celebrate her Late Father’s Music Legacy by which an average of 100 – 120 performers (Dancers, Instrumentalists and singers) from Samoa’s music community, students of the National University of Samoa and guest international musicians take to the stage the importance of music and arts education. With the support of collaborative partners (local and international), Rosaiviti has been able to create other performance opportunities aimed as a result of music pedagogies to build a population of learned musicians, musically-informed audiences and promoting Pasefika repertoire.
A descendant of respectable intergenerational musical family legacies of Rotuma and Samoa, Rosaiviti continues the work of her parents’ through Music performance, education, research and ethnomusicology. It is a vision of Rosaiviti’s to encourage fellow Pasefika musicians to implement sustainable measures toward ownership and pride of our own music and control the narratives that are shared. She also wants to encourage Pasefika names to be recognised for contributions to music and arts research and pedagogies that are culturally relevant, promotional and protected. Though Samoan and Rotuman in heritage, Rosaiviti believes that within the interconnectedness of the Blue continent, we can find sustainability, direction and therefore contribute remarkably beyond our shores.