Hamilton Civic Choir celebrates 80 years

3 Sept 2026

Later this month Hamilton Civic Choir will celebrate their 80th birthday with a concert called Tiakina Te Reo Waiata; Keeping The Song Alive. This title is so apt for a choir that has had a rich and varied history, with exciting plans for the future.

At the time of their 60th anniversary, a book was written by Phillippa Ulenberg outlining Hamilton Civic Choir’s history within the changing Waikato community. There had been a vibrant arts scene since the 1860s and an active choral society in the 1920s-‘30s. Through WWII there was a lot of activity, but largely by small scale groups. Immediately post-war there was a renewed interest in the arts, and a group of Hamilton Borough councillors committed to four projects – the creation of a civic orchestra and a civic choir, reviving the competitions society and building suitable venues for all to flourish.  

There was a flurry of activity – the Civic Orchestra was created and held its first concert in October 1945. In December that year Hamilton was proclaimed as a city. The establishment of the Cambridge Music School by Owen Jensen in January 1946 brought more than 100 musicians together, including a significant number of enthusiasts from many Waikato communities, and put a focus on the musical talent in the region. Auditions for the choir were also held that month, but there were concerns about the lack of men and contraltos.  In August the Hamilton Music Festival and Competitions ‘Victory Eisteddfod’ attracted over 3,000 entries. And finally in September the first concert of the Hamilton Civic Choir (HCC) was conducted by Peter de Rose and included Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise. The newspaper critic said “Altogether it was a most enjoyable performance of a character not heard in Hamilton for many years and a foretaste of the musical treats in store for the citizens of Hamilton.”

After a slightly rocky first 6 months, John Davies took over as conductor in May 1947, and they worked towards their first performance of Messiah. Joseph Battersby succeeded him as conductor the following year. The choir was affiliated with the Civic Orchestra for the first 7 years and shared the same executive committee, but the relationship was uneasy. Neither felt their interests were best served being managed by one committee, and the choir was frustrated that the orchestra wasn’t prepared to support all their performances.

Oratorios formed Hamilton Civic Choir's core repertoire over the first couple of decades: Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and St Paul, Handel’s Judas Maccabeus and the ever-popular Messiah - the latter becoming an annual fixture until the early 1970s.

The uneasy alliance of the Hamilton Civic Orchestra and Choir Incorporated was dissolved in 1953 and the new Hamilton Civic Choir Incorporated made the following announcement in July 1954:

“The Choir is your Choir, for while the active members have banded together to enjoy themselves, they hope with the assistance of subscribing members to be able to give pleasure to an ever-increasing circle of supporters. Further, it is a CIVIC choir because of its privilege and pleasure, as well as its duty to help maintain and raise the standard of musical appreciation in our city, and to appear, as in the past, on such public occasions as the Mayor and Councilors desire....”

In 1953 the Hamilton Civic Choir and Orchestra gave a concert to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, and when the Queen toured NZ later in the year, they performed at a function held in her honour. They also performed for the Queen Mother when she visited Hamilton in 1958.

During the ‘60s there were problems of dwindling audience numbers, difficulties in getting orchestral services and competition for the city’s best singers from other choirs. They also received some harsh reviews which damaged choir morale. The choir numbers had diminished to around 30, with the majority of singers being over the age of 60. To counteract these problems, the choir put more emphasis on using ‘big name’ soloists – including Mary O’Brien, Elizabeth Hellawell, Lynne Cantlon, Maurice Taylor and Malvina Major.

Guyon Wells was appointed as Music Director in 1967 and brought a significant level of international choral experience to the position for the first time. He reintroduced auditions and worked hard to raise levels of musicianship and choral discipline. His first concert (which included Haydn’s Nelson Mass) was a resounding success. The Waikato Times critic wrote [The Choir] showed that it can produce a thrilling sound. Guyon Wells, the new conductor, has a firm, clear, decisive beat, tempos were brisk and there was a well-rehearsed confident feel about the evening’s work that promises well for the future. Hamilton Civic Choir's membership and reputation grew under his leadership, and he widened their repertoire significantly. Works by composers such as Kodaly, Saint-Saëns and Britten, and in fact most of the music performed during Wells’s tenure was new to the choir and was innovative by national standards.   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Guyon Wells, 1988 Japan tour     In 1975 Hamilton Civic Choir was selected as the New Zealand entrant into BBC’s Let The People Sing, a world-wide choral competition. In 1978 they were televised for first time on Telethon and then Stars on Sunday. They made their first recording in 1984, and recorded for TVNZ’s Praise Be in 1993.

After Guyon Wells retired in 1992 the choir engaged guest conductors on a one-concert contract – Anselm Kersten, John Rosser, Uwe Grodd, Peter Godfrey, Carl Browning, Bruce Cash – before appointing Julie Jackson, a lecturer in Music at the School of Education, Waikato University, in 1996. Rachel Griffiths-Hughes took the role in 2000 and over her 15-year tenure, introduced the choir to Baroque performance. Timothy Carpenter followed in 2016 and in 2022 the current Music Director Elise Bradley was appointed. Each director has given so much in terms of increased profile and innovative programming. The stellar contribution of Frances Cowan as accompanist and Assistant Music Director since 1996 should not go unmentioned. 

Over the years the Hamilton Civic Choir has:

• Performed regularly with the NZSO, including performances in Hamilton  and Auckland of Mahler’s Symphony No 3 under Franz-Paul Decker, to celebrate the choir’s 50th anniversary.
• Collaborated with other choirs and musical groups around the country, including Bach Musica and choirs in Auckland, Wellington and around the Waikato district.
• Given many young artists opportunities as soloists
• Performed and commissioned a significant number of New Zealand compositions.

Hamilton Civic Choir has also made several international tours:

• In 1981 HCC was invited to Fiji where they gave concerts in Suva and Lautoka. Kerry Stevens (former choir member, HCC Chair, and Radio NZ producer) who was assisting the broadcasting service in Fiji instigated this invitation.
• In 1988 they went to Hamilton’s sister city Urawa in Japan. This 2-week tour was a rich cultural experience, during which they gave 6 concerts, a highlight being the combined concert with Urawa Civic Choir.
• A recording on their YouTube channel led to an invitation from Distinguished Choirs International New York to participate in a composer-led residency and massed choir concert at Carnegie Hall in 2018. Singers from 22 other choirs from the USA, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand sang music by Ola Gjeilo and Dan Forrest. While in New York the HCC also gave performances at the Cathedral of St John-the-Devine (where they sang a programme of New Zealand works) and St Patrick’s Cathedral.
   

                                         _{Massed choirs in Carnegie Hall                                                                           Singing in the Cathedral of St John the Devine}

• A fellow choir in New York, the Chime Choir from Melbourne, invited HCC to join them and the Boroondara Brass the following year for a joint ANZAC Day service in the South Melbourne Town Hall.

           _{Right: Hamilton Civic Choir and Melbourne's Chime Choir in South                           Melbourne Town Hall, Anzac Day.}

 

Hamilton Civic Choir celebrated their 60th anniversary with a dinner concert, and their 75th anniversary with a full-blown party and a performance of Carmina Burana. As they prepare for their 80th anniversary concert they are also fund-raising for their next international adventure, having received an invitation from Vox Anima in the UK to work with them next year! We wish the Hamilton Civic Choir a happy anniversary and many more wonderful performances in the future.

Music Directors: Peter de Rose (1946), John Davies (1946-7), Joseph Battersby (‘48-’60), Harold Schofield (’61-63), John Rundel (’64-66), Guyon Wells (’67-’92), guest conductors (’93-5), Julie Jackson (’96-99), Rachel Griffiths-Hughes (2000-2015) Timothy Carpenter (2016 – 2021), Elise Bradley (2022 - )

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