Vive la France! Camerata returns to St Matthew-in-the-City in October to present a programme of French music. Drawing from the best of the French masters, our anchor work will be the Duruflé Requiem, completed in 1947 and described as an elegant, luxuriant and spellbinding gem. We are thrilled to sing this with the magnificent organ accompaniment played by Philip Smith. The programme is rounded out with more Duruflé (the exquisite Quatre Motets) as well as Fauré’s serenely beautiful Cantique de Jean-Racine and Poulenc’s Videntes stellam. We also welcome Megan Quatermass, who will accompany us on the piano. Celestial music indeed. In opposition we will sing Poulenc’s motet Timor et tremor and Fauré’s Les Djinns with its wild cries from hell. A nod to earthly troubles comes with Fauré’s Madrigal about men’s and women’s views of each other in love.

Get ready for a night of glitz, glamour and swing as Auckland Youth Choir takes you back to the roaring 20s and beyond with its latest concert “The Great Gatsby”.

From classic tunes like “Mack the Knife” and "It Don't Mean a Thing" to the Gershwin hits, the choir will be joined by a 3 piece band that’s sure to transport you into one of music's most golden ages.

Rowan Johnston conductor

Juan Kim piano

David Squire bass

Jacob Moore drums

Tickets available from www.ayc.org.nz/tickets

Vivaldi ‘Spring’ from Four Seasons
Vivaldi Gloria in D major RV589
Fauré Requiem Op 48

Uwe Grodd conductor
Emma Pearson soprano
Kate Webber mezzo soprano
James Harrison baritone
Simeon Broom violin
Auckland Choral
Pipers Sinfonia
Sunday 16 October, 5.00pm
Auckland Town Hall
ticketmaster.co.nz/09 970 9700

Vivaldi famously said, ‘There are no words, there is only music there’ and perhaps the most recognisable of his works, one of The Four Seasons, celebrates the joy of Spring – the season in which Mother Nature brings
happiness to mankind.
He was one of the Baroque era’s most innovative figures and Vivaldi’s most uplifting Gloria resonates with audiences in ways that he probably never imagined. The text is a hymn of praise. Its score disappeared after Vivaldi’s death
and was rediscovered in the late 1920s.
Fauré’s Requiem depicts the timelessness of human existence, the procession of generations, human longings, profound sorrow, fear of the unknown, as well as light, hope, the ultimate joys of heaven, and, above all, peace.
He chose to eliminate almost all parts of the Requiem liturgy that depict hell and damnation, seeing death as an aspiration towards happiness above.

From organs to orchestras, car horns to choirs, ballads to ballet, Philip Norman’s compositions span the breadth of the performing arts. This concert celebrates and records highlights from the many choral and musical theatre songs he has written while living in Christchurch.

It includes selections from Footrot Flats, New Zealand’s most successful stage musical co-written with Roger Hall and A. K. Grant; songs from shows as diverse as Love Off the Shelf, which broke box office records in England and New Zealand, the rollicking student operetta from 1976, A Stab in The Dark, and The Great Art War, a succès d'estime at the Court Theatre post-earthquake.

Collaborations with Margaret Mahy are represented by ‘Tarragon Vinegar’, familiar to all involved with this year’s Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival, along with thought provoking reflections on World War I in Pro Patria commissioned by the Christchurch City Choir.

Conducted and compèred by the composer, Wit & Wisdom promises to be a warm-hearted romp through five decades of music-making: ideal for either awakening memories in Christchurch concertgoers, theatre aficionados and choristers of old, or for introducing to those unfamiliar with his writing, the wit, wisdom and charm of his considerable musical output.

"Songs of the Soul" is the final concert in 2022 for the Wellington Male Voice Choir. This programme delves into some of the various things that nurture our souls: the connection with spirituality, love of country, being in nature, and interaction with various aspects of culture. We will also feature two other choirs in this concert: Kōkako from Wellington Young Voices and Voces Luce from Queen Margaret College. This fantastic programme will conclude with a rousing rendition of "Down by the Riverside" which features all three choirs and audience participation.

Handel’s masterpiece will be performed by the Bay of Islands Singers with:

Elizabeth Mandeno - Soprano

Sarah Court  - Mezzo-Soprano

Lachlan Craig - Tenor

Thomas Røshol- Bass

With guest orchestra conducted by John Jackets

The Edgecumbe Choir presents A Prelude to Christmas.

Featuring
- Magnificat by JS Bach
- St Nicholas Mass by FJ Haydn

Tickets available from The Good Life (160 The Strand, Whakatane) and at the door.

The Edgecumbe Choir presents A Prelude to Christmas.

Featuring
- Magnificat by JS Bach
- St Nicholas Mass by FJ Haydn

Tickets available from The Good Life (160 The Strand, Whakatane) and at the door.

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.

Book tickets now.

Uwe Grodd conductor
Isabella Moore soprano
Kate Webber mezzo soprano
Tenor TBC
Benson Wilson baritone
Auckland Choral
Pipers Sinfonia
Sunday 18 December, 5.00pm
Monday 19 December, 7.30pm
Auckland Town Hall
ticketmaster.co.nz/09 970 9700

Messiah brings people such joy and overwhelming
pleasure, so it’s easy to understand its phenomenal
popularity.
In 1742, Handel’s name drew such a crowd that
audience members were advised to leave their hooped
skirts and swords at home for fear of overcrowding at the
Dublin premiere.
The tradition of presenting the much-loved masterpiece
at Christmas rather than Easter grew out of fundraisers
knowing that people’s spirit of giving to charities was far
greater at Christmas, and by the 1960s Messiah had been
almost completely transformed to a Christmas event.
Handel’s beautiful music transcends its biblical text,
embracing the possibility of hope and rebirth after the
darkest of times. Auckland Choral is thrilled to be able to
return to this celebration of hope and new beginnings…
dazzling solos and instrumental fireworks… the most
glorious choral writing of all time, this masterwork never
fails to thrill all ages.