Farewell, Roger Stevenson
3 Sept 2024
It's with great sadness that the New Zealand Choral Federation acknowledges the passing of Roger Stevenson, a choral leader, conductor and educator whose loss will be deeply felt by many members of our choral community across Aotearoa.
Roger was the first and longest-serving Musical Director of the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir, his tenure running from 1987 until 2000. During that time, he took NZSSC to Hawaii's Pacific Basin Choral Festival three times (in 1990, 1992 and 1996), where they won gold each time. The choir says, "Roger was a giant in our NZSSC history. We remember him as infectious and passionate about choral music, about his singers, and about the 'newest' national choir in Aotearoa at the time. We want to honour him with this song by the Puanaki whānau about the mighty Tāne Mahuta, a giant, planting the seeds for generations of young singers to come."
Roger received an NZ Commemoration medal in 1990, and in 1991, the Queen's Service Medal for services to music. This article on NZSSC's website provides a wonderful overview of his career, alongside a few photographic gems. Roger is quoted there describing his approach to choral directing:
“It’s all about the eyes; the window of the soul. I’d give lots of praise and say ‘YES, that’s what I like!!'"
Roger was a stickler for his students raising their hand if they made a mistake, he encouraged them to "own it and commit to fixing it". He’d tell students, “I trust you to do that, I believe in you!”.
“You have the choice … I know where I want to set the bar and I am asking you to come with me,” he’d say to each new choir.
The Big Sing Finale 2024 Gala Concert, held on August 31 in Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre, was dedicated to Roger. Many of his school choirs were selected for The Big Sing Finale in past years, and many directors of choirs at the Finale began their choral journeys under his leadership. Roger's legacy lives on in their music-making and in the young singers they now train.