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To celebrate Hastings Choral Society's 36th anniversary we are singing Vivaldi's Gloria, John Wells' Gloria Tonga and Faure's Requiem. We will be accompanied by John Wells on organ and will be joined by some aspiring young soloists. On Saturday 2 July we are holding an Anniversary Lunch and book launch. The book, Our Singing Years – so far… covers the first 36 years of the choir. This will be available to purchase at the lunch and at the concert as well as from the committee.
The New Zealand Male Choir will present a broad range of music including songs from the shows.
In concert with South Brighton Voices Community Choir & ‘Molls Dolls’ Tap performance Group.
Door sales and EFTPOS available.
The programme includes Dvorak's Mass In D, plus How Lovely are Thy Dwellings (Brahms), Geistliches Lied Op 30 (Brahms), Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (Bach) and Hear my Prayer (Mendelssohn).
I must go down to the seas again, the lonely sea and the sky! Come join us live in concert for stories of the seven seas told through song. From the Flying Dutchman to New Zealand's own sea shanty, The Wellerman, come with us as we heave away to the coasts of High Barbary and beyond. This concert will surely sail right home to you!
The presentation of the choral works by Handel, Parry, Hewitt Jones and Williams will be the culmination of a workshop, on the day of the performance, by highly acclaimed guest conductor Brent Stewart. While the Palmerston North Choral Society has been rehearsing during May, choristers from other choirs around the region have been invited to participate in the workshop to take advantage of Brent’s expertise.
Zadok the Priest by George Frederick Handel (1727) was composed for the coronation of King George II, and is one of Handel’s most famous works. It has been sung at the coronation of every British monarch since then.
Hubert Parry’s I was Glad (1902), set from versus of Psalm 122, is a very popular piece in the musical repertoire of the Anglican Church, and has been sung as an anthem at the coronation of the British monarch since that of Edward VII. The works being performed have been specially chosen to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and none more so than In Our Service by Thomas Hewitt Jones (2022). HM the Queen is the Royal Patron of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), so to celebrate her Jubilee the RSCM commissioned this new choral work. In Our Service, based on the Queen’s own speeches, is designed to be performed by a wide variety of groups, from cathedral and church choirs, to community choirs and in schools. Not only is it enjoyable to sing, Hewitt Jones’ text ensures this piece will be relevant well beyond the Jubilee. For the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II O Taste and See was composed by Ralph
Vaughan Williams (1952). Set to text from Psalm 34:8, the piece is described as having “a quiet beauty with melodic lines, creating a sense of peace and stillness”.
The Hamilton Civic Choir warmly welcomes you to our second concert for 2022, “Dance the Light.” Under the direction of Elise Bradley, we are presenting a variety of sacred and secular pieces from different cultures and traditions.
The concert opens and closes with multi-part works for which we will be joined by two children’s choirs, Hamilton’s Tron Songsters Children’s Choir and Nota Bella from Westlake Girls school, Auckland. These move from the sombre and beautiful “Canticles of Light” by Bob Chilcott, to the frankly joyful and uplifting “Dance Song to the Creator” by our own much-loved David Hamilton. In between, we will sing a piece by a Canadian composer, Hussein Janmohamed, celebrating the sunrise over the ocean; a rhythmically exciting description of the “Making of the Drum” also by Bob Chilcott; and two very different versions of both “The Hymn to the Virgin” and “Alleluia.” Kolitha Jayatunge will also conduct us in singing the “Martha Goose Suite” by Andrew Baldwin.
We hope you will join us to celebrate dancing the light as we move into winter, at the:
Where ? Dr John Gallagher Concert Chamber, Academy of Performing Arts. Waikato University
When? Saturday June 18, 7.30pm
Tickets? Adult $35, concession $25,
Family (2 Adults/2children) $80,
Student rush $10 cash at door if available. Door Sales cash only subject to availability.
This Concert is to be held over 3 separate concerts on 17, 18 and 19 June 2022.
The Choral concerts will be held on Friday evening at the Blyth Performing Arts Centre in Havelock North and Sunday afternoon at Waiapu Cathedral.
We will be performing Bruckner: Te Deum and Mendelssohn: Hymn of Praise
Our Orchestral concert on Saturday evening is also held at the Blyth Performing Arts Centre in Havelock North. The pieces that will be performed are Brahms: Tragic Overture Op.81, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 and Brahms: Symphony No.3.
Bach Musica NZ presents Handel’s dramatic oratorio Samson.
Handel Samson
Rita Paczian conductor
Joanna Foote Soprano
Kate Spence Alto
Andrew Grenon Tenor
Joel Amosa Bass
Samuel McKeever Bass
Handel composed Samson immediately after Messiah in 1741. It proved an instant success and has never fallen out of favour since then.
The libretto is based on Milton’s Samson Agonistes. As Milton was blind, he could emphasise with the blindness of Samson, as indeed could Handel whose sight was also beginning to fail. It is a highly operatic work, from a famous operatic composer. The chorus’s role is like the Greek chorus in that it sets the scene, offers moral comments, describes the action in thrilling detail and thus gives a backdrop to the various soloists whose characters are vividly portrayed through Handel’s dramatic writing.
The oratorio is dramatic and tragic, but it ends joyfully with its brilliant soprano aria Let the Bright Seraphim followed by the final triumphant chorus Let their celestial concerts all unite. Samson's great deed has brought redemption to God's people and the work ends triumphantly with a great hymn of praise, in endless morn of light.
Andrew Grenon is featured in the title role of Samson.
It's audition time at the Christchurch City Chorus. Australasia's finest women's harmony, performing chorus, are back again with fire in their bellies as they fly into singing contests and performances right now!
Do you love to sing? Do you love to perform? Do you want to expand on your musical interests and skills? Come and meet like-minded women, who love to sing and perform together.
We are particularly looking for women with low voices, but interested in hearing from anyone who simply loves to sing. We are welcoming people who love to sing at a high level, love laughter while striving for excellence and can sing harmony easily or melody accurately.
We sing music from musical theatre shows, jazz, ballads, popular tunes like Uptown Funk, NZ favourites and more. If you love to dance too then that is a bonus as we love dancing singers.
Contact us for more information and we'll send you the audition material with learning and backing tracks.
Join us for some fun this year. It's time!
We are especially looking for women with low voices (Karen Carpenter, Adele, Shania Twain, Diana Krall), and will provide you with learning tracks for the audition.
Bach Musica NZ presents Durufle Requiem, Tolnay Symphony 2019 (world premiere) and Piazzolla Adios Nonino & Escolaso
Durufle Requiem
Tolnay Symphony 2019 (world premiere)
Piazzolla Adios Nonino & Escolaso
Rita Paczian conductor
Stephanie Poole Accordion
Elisha Hulton Mezzo Soprano
Robert Tucker Baritone
Both pieces by tango Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla feature solo accordion and orchestra. Adiós Nonino (Farewell, father) was written in 1959 in memory of his father, Vicente “Nonino”. Piazzolla’s tango Escolaso is equally famous.
We are proud to present the world premiere of Symphony 2019 by Hungarian-NZ composer Gabor Tolnay. Gabor is a jazz pianist and composer based in Nelson. His Symphony 2019 was inspired by his late wife Judit.
Durufle’s moving Requiem, published in 1948, is the main piece in this concert. It features two vocal soloists, chorus and a big symphony orchestra. The piece is regarded as one of the outstanding choral works of the 20th century.
Bach Musica NZ presents Best of Bach with Bach’s Magnificat, Violin Concerto in E Major, Flute Concerto in e minor BWV 1059/35 (NZ premiere), Jauchzet, frohlocket from Christmas Oratorio.
Rita Paczian conductor
Yanghe Yu Violin
Luca Manghi Flute
Elizabeth Mandeno Soprano
Wendy Dawn Thompson Alto
Iain Tetley Tenor
James Harrison Baritone
Best of Bach concert commences with the NZ premiere of the composer’s Flute Concerto in e minor, played by internationally acclaimed Italian flutist Luca Manghi.
Choir and full orchestra assemble next to perform Bach’s most famous Christmas chorus Jauchzet, frohlocket, the opening music of his Christmas Oratorio.
Bach Musica NZ’s concertmaster, Yanghe Yu, features as soloist in Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major.
In the second half, Bach Musica NZ presents the composer’s famous Magnificat, scored for four vocal soloists, 5-part chorus and large Baroque orchestra, including three majestic trumpets. The ultimate Christmas music!
“It is conceivable, that when Bach premiered his immortal work in Leipzig almost 300 years ago, that the quality of his concert would have been eclipsed last Sunday by that of Bach Musica NZ‘s rendition - and this in remote New Zealand!”
Rainer W. Buhmann, review of Bach Musica NZ’s St Matthew Passion performance in April 2021.
