Karnan Saba is a Composer and Audio Producer currently based in Wellington. An active member of NZ’s theatre and music scene since 2001, ​​he has composed music and sound designs for award-winning shows by Māori and Pasifika theatre company Tawata Productions for over a decade. He has worked on many Asian-led productions in Aotearoa and was a part of the Wellington South Asian music scene of the early 2000s. His stage and screen credits include works by Hone Kouka, Miria George, Ahi Karunaharan and Sarita So. In 2019 he contributed to the Aotearoa Music Awards and Taite Music Prize Album of the Year Avantdale Bowling Club and released his first full-length album Bird of Paradise with lyricist HoneBeGood. Miria George’s 2021 Short film Fire In The Water featuring his original music has been screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival, Maoriland Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Hawai’i International Film Festival. In 2021 he presented Reclamation at the Kia Mau Festival, a surround sound audio experience of Immigrant Sri Lankan Tamil history through archival recordings, interviews and found sound. He is a member of the Eastern Sound Collective, a network for Asian musicians in Wellington.

Karnan Saba

Karnan Saba is a Composer and Audio Producer currently based in Wellington. An active member of NZ’s theatre and music scene since 2001, ​​he has composed music and sound designs for award-winning shows by Māori and Pasifika theatre company Tawata Productions for over a decade. He has worked on many Asian-led productions in Aotearoa and was a part of the Wellington South Asian music scene of the early 2000s. His stage and screen credits include works by Hone Kouka, Miria George, Ahi Karunaharan and Sarita So. In 2019 he contributed to the Aotearoa Music Awards and Taite Music Prize Album of the Year Avantdale Bowling Club and released his first full-length album Bird of Paradise with lyricist HoneBeGood. Miria George’s 2021 Short film Fire In The Water featuring his original music has been screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival, Maoriland Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Hawai’i International Film Festival. In 2021 he presented Reclamation at the Kia Mau Festival, a surround sound audio experience of Immigrant Sri Lankan Tamil history through archival recordings, interviews and found sound. He is a member of the Eastern Sound Collective, a network for Asian musicians in Wellington.

Available to hire

Karnan Saba is a Composer and Audio Producer currently based in Wellington. An active member of NZ’s theatre and music scene since 2001, ​​he has composed music and sound designs for award-winning shows by Māori and Pasifika theatre company Tawata Productions for over a decade. He has worked on many Asian-led productions in Aotearoa and was a part of the Wellington South Asian music scene of the early 2000s. His stage and screen credits include works by Hone Kouka, Miria George, Ahi Karunaharan and Sarita So. In 2019 he contributed to the Aotearoa Music Awards and Taite Music Prize Album of the Year Avantdale Bowling Club and released his first full-length album Bird of Paradise with lyricist HoneBeGood. Miria George’s 2021 Short film Fire In The Water featuring his original music has been screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival, Maoriland Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and the Hawai’i International Film Festival. In 2021 he presented Reclamation at the Kia Mau Festival, a surround sound audio experience of Immigrant Sri Lankan Tamil history through archival recordings, interviews and found sound. He is a member of the Eastern Sound Collective, a network for Asian musicians in Wellington.

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Language

English
Advanced
Tamil
Advanced

Work Experience

Theatre & Dance Composition, Production and Sound Design at Auckland Theatre Company & Auckland Arts Festival
January 1, 2025 - Present
Created theatre and dance scores, produced production sound designs, and collaborated with writers, directors and performers on various productions, including contemporary works such as A Mix Tape for Maladies.
Music Composer / Sound Designer at The Mourning After (Tawata Productions) / Kia Mau Festival
January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2014
Composed music and designed sound for The Mourning After and related works; contributed to multiple Tawata productions and Kia Mau Festival projects.
Music Composer / Sound Designer at Riverside Kings (Tawata Productions)
January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2017
Created original scores and soundscapes for Riverside Kings and allied theatre works.
Music Composer / Sound Designer at The Beautiful Ones (Tawata Productions)
January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2016
Provided score and sound design for The Beautiful Ones across 2015-2016.
Music Producer / Composer at Bird of Paradise (Album)
January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Produced and composed music for the full-length album Bird of Paradise, with lyricist Hone BeGood.
Music Composer / Original Score at Fire In The Water (Short Film) / Tawata Productions
January 1, 2021 - Present
Provided original score for Mira George's 2021 short Fire In The Water, with subsequent festival screenings.
Sound Design / Surround Sound Audio Experience at Reclamation (Kia Mau Festival) / Tawata Productions
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Created surround-sound audio experience of immigrant Sri Lankan Tamil history through archival recordings, interviews and found sound.
Music Producer / Composer at Stones Throw (Edie) / Short Film
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Produced music for Stones Throw feat. Edie, a short film piece released in 2021.
Music Composer / Sound Designer at The Mourning After / Tawata Productions
January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2014
Scored and designed sound for The Mourning After and related Tawata works (2010, 2014).
Composer / Sound Designer at Sunset Road / Tawata Productions
January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2013
Provided music and sound design for Sunset Road (2012-2013).

Education

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Qualifications

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Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Non-Profit Organization