Composer – Pianist – Educator

Jaroslav Tane Novak was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and is a composer, pianist, and music educator of Czech and Māori (Ngāiterangi, Ngāti Kahungunu, Waikato) ancestry.

Jaroslav came to the piano as a young teen, and quickly took to it with a great passion and determination.

He gained a degree in music from the University of Otago, New Zealand. He later studied at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.

As a concert pianist, chamber musician, and jazz pianist he has performed in many locations across New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

A polystylist, his composing style is highly influenced by Slavic and Central European musical form and techniques and draws inspiration from Māori and Polynesian narratives, language, and history.