Composed towards the end of the 18th Century, Haydn was inspired to create The Creation following his trips to the United Kingdom, where he heard the oratorios of Handel still being performed with massive forces. He is quoted as saying that, once in the flow, he begged God to let him be able to finish the work.

For the first time in nearly twenty years, Ars Nova Choir is delighted to bring back to Taranaki Haydn's much-loved oratorio. Joining them will be prominent New Zealand opera singers Clarissa Dunn (soprano), John Beaglehole (tenor) and Ars Nova Choir’s Patron, Roger Wilson (bass).

Come and enjoy Ars Nova Choir’s performance of Haydn's acclaimed oratorio, accompanied in a new chamber orchestration (the first time to be performed in New Zealand), by Ars Antiqua Chamber Orchestra and directed by Christopher J. Luke.

Whether you are a teacher, instrumentalist, singer, music student, conduct a school choir, a church choir, sing in a community choir or are just interested in the art of conducting, this workshop will benefit you!

Under the tutelage of Timothy Carpenter, this conducting workshop will consist of sessions in beat patterns, gesture, score preparation and analysis and rehearsal technique with one of New Zealand’s finest community choirs.

Before booking, please ensure you have viewed the event flyer. The flyer contains the payment details, times, agenda, repertoire, location...etc Another way to view the flyer is to go to the news page on our website, and click on the conducting workshop event. The link to the flyer is there also.

All ages, experience and abilities are welcome to this workshop.

This workshop is limited to 10 spaces. Bookings close 28 March. Your booking for this workshop will be secured once payment has been made.

A recent study has shown that singing in a choir makes you feel good, and it does – VV members, for example, are required to reaffirm their happiness at every rehearsal. But we believe choral music makes audiences happy too, and aim to prove this at St Matt's in March. To do so, we’ll blend the Renaissance delights of Lassus, Wilbye and Tomkins with the later pleasures of Herzogenberg and Finzi, while adding upbeat spirituals, popular numbers and, for the coup de grâce, Monteverdi’s wonderfully joyous ‘Beatus vir’ with Baroque ensemble. Our title suggests a self-help concert, but we’ll do all the work; all you need do is have a good time!

David Burchell, conductor
Soloists: Iain Tetley (Evangelist), Scott Bezett (Jesus), Lois Johnston (Soprano), Claire Barton (Alto), Andrew Grenon (Tenor), Malcolm Leitch (Bass)
City Choir Dunedin
Christchurch City Choir
Dunedin Symphony Orchestra

City Choir Dunedin is proud to present Bach’s epic work: St Matthew Passion. The resources for St Matthew Passion are huge, requiring a double choir, a large orchestra and seven soloists.  Christchurch City Choir will join us to provide the second choir and they are excited to be involved in this most marvellous of works. The acclaimed soloists are Iain Tetley (Evangelist), Scott Bezett (Jesus), Lois Johnston (Soprano), Claire Barton (Alto), Andrew Grenon (Tenor) and Malcolm Leitch (Bass). The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra will provide orchestral support while David Burchell will conduct this highlight in Dunedin’s musical calendar.

In the Middle Ages Christian churches began observing Holy Week by retelling the story of Christ’s crucifixion in music. Bible verses were set to chant melodies, with St Matthew Passion culminating in one of the most ambitious musical compositions of all time.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed his St Matthew Passion for the 1727 Good Friday service at St Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany. The work is the largest single composition Bach ever wrote, both in terms of length and in terms of forces called for in the score.

The story of the Passion begins in the turmoil of Jesus’s last days in Jerusalem and ends with his crucifixion and burial. The drama is brought to life by Bach’s musical expression of the Christian tenets of love, grace, and salvation. This epic work, perhaps Bach’s most personal, often moves from a moment of violent operatic drama to a solo aria, frozen in time, an utterance from deep inside the soul.

The St Matthew Passion is one the greatest creations, revealing layers of meaning in the text. The great variety of music in the Passion is dramatic, passionate and emotional, and surprises abound. With more than 250 musicians on stage, this performance will be epic and one not to be missed.

This event, to mark the founding of world peace after the Great War, is our fourth and final World War One commemoration event.

On the programme: the exquisitely beautiful "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber, preceding the main work of the evening, Giuseppe Verdi's powerful "Requiem".

Soloists for the "Requiem" are Anna Leese (soprano), Kristin Darragh (mezzo-soprano), Amitai Pati (tenor) and Wade Kernot (bass).

The sprouting of poppy flowers on battlefields and grave sites across Europe marked the conclusion of World War I and these flowers feature prominently in John McCrae’s poem "In Flanders Fields". After the war, the Royal British Legion promoted the wearing of red poppies on November 11, Armistice Day. Britons also place wreaths of them on graves
In 1933, the anti-war Women’s Co-operative Guild began selling white poppies to embody both remembrance and pacifism; the whiteness symbolized a lack of bloodshed.
While they were not meant to conflict with the red poppy, the white poppy has sometimes been seen as a political symbol. According to the BBC, "many veterans felt that its significance undermined their contribution and the lasting meaning of the red poppy". Today however, the Royal British Legion neither condemns nor endorses them and another group, the Peace Pledge Union, has taken over the white poppy emblem.

HAMILTON CIVIC CHOIR PRESENTS FREE ANTIPODEAN CONCERT AT THE HAMILTON GARDENS

On Sunday 31 March at 2:30pm at the Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton Civic Choir will kick off their 2019 season with a free concert which promises to be an afternoon of fun for all to enjoy. Titled “Antipodes”, Hamilton Civic Choir will present a choral programme consisting of a mixture of exciting and vibrant choral music of New Zealand and Australia.

“This year’s summer garden concert is called Antipodes, which as you know refers to Australia and New Zealand, and the programme I have selected combines timeless, traditional choral pieces with the sounds of new works by living composers,” said Hamilton Civic Choir’s music director Timothy Carpenter. “The repertoire is also an opportunity for the Choir to showcase some of the wonderful music New Zealand and Australia has to offer, and later this year the choir will tour to Melbourne for a collaborative concert on the 25th of April with Melbourne’s CHIME Choir to commemorate ANZAC Day.”

Antipodes will feature a thoughtfully woven programme of the Trans-Tasman spirit and camaraderie and will include an array of New Zealand works such as John Ritchie’s Lord, when the sense, Richard Oswin’s Gallipoli Settings, Douglas Mew’s NZ Folk Songs and Ghosts, Fire, Water, and Chris Hartley’s O Magnum Mysterium. The programme will also feature Australian works such Stephen Leek’s Ngana, and Iain Grandage’s Three Australian Bush Songs.

The Hamilton Civic Choir will also present the New Zealand premiere of the award-winning composition Other Plans by Australian Lisa Young, bringing to life the breath-taking art form of South Indian konnakol (vocal percussion) in a bold new way.

So what are you waiting for? Come and celebrate the end of summer at the Hamilton Gardens for a free Antipodean concert by Waikato’s premiere choir.

What?         Hamilton Civic Choir’s Antipodes

When?        Sunday 31st March, starting at 2:30pm

Where?    Hamilton Gardens, The Piazza

Tickets?    Free, and bring a hat and sunscreen.

For more information visit www.hamiltoncivicchoir.org.nz, or email secretary@hamiltoncivicchoir.org.nz

Well known music from the operas by Purcell, Verdi, Handel, Bizet, Wagner and Borodin.

The Christchurch City Chorus and its' competing quartets present:

A Cappella, Southern Style

in preparation for competing at Nationals in Dunedin, and at International contest, New Orleans, in September.

Music will range from jazz to popular NZ standards, ballads to swing. The best a cappella singers in the Southern hemisphere will be in top form.

Join us as we explore music from around the world. You’ll hear songs from the British Isles, Europe, Russia, the Americas and more. From a Somerset folksong to a traditional Japanese song about cherry blossom, be transported to other places – no need for a passport! Enjoy the story-telling of the Skye Boat Song, Danny Boy and Au Clair de la Lune but with new choral arrangements. Feel the yearning of the Hebrew Slaves for their homeland and be stirred by the rousing song of the Volga Boatmen in Russia.

Come and hear Christchurch choir Schola Cantorum sing a concert of music from different eras. The songs in the programme will range from renaissance polyphony to twenty-first century music.

‘We love singing a cappella, weaving our voices together in a tapestry of sound that connects us with great music from throughout the ages,’ says Musical Director Felicity O’Brien. ‘This concert includes several religious pieces based on the feast of Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Spirit. Others are about dreams and the spiritual dimension of a more secular world. We hope you enjoy our choices as much as we enjoy singing them!’

Schola Cantorum was founded in 1987 to preserve and perform the rich tradition of Mediaeval and Renaissance music, which includes plain chant, polyphony and madrigals.

Entry is by programme available at the door for $10, adults; children are free.

The men of the Taranaki Male Choir will be joined by the Whanganui Male Choir and Male Voices Waikato in an exciting celebration of their special Choral sound.