Hutt City Chorale celebrates 50 years

30 Apr 2026

A small choir with a big history

This year the Hutt City Chorale celebrates 50 years of concert making. Formerly the Wainuiomata Choir, the Chorale has an extraordinary history of collaboration, innovation and service to the community.

Formed in 1975 by John Knox, Bill McCabe and pianist Maurice Faulknor, the Wainuiomata Choir gave its first concert on 28 July 1976. A varied programme was presented to a full house at St Stephen’s Church, Wainuiomata, and was met with great enthusiasm. The reviewer in the Courier called the new ensemble “a potential high class choir in the near future” and then analysed its strengths and weaknesses in depth. He noted “The best choir work came in Purcell’s Te Deum Laudamus, supported by a small string-wind-brass ensemble, piano & organ”, and then concluded: Finally, the concert gave every indication that Wainuiomata has within its grasp a choir and conductor potentially capable of putting the district graciously and authoritatively on New Zealand’s already relatively expansive musical map. As promised by the Programme’s title. An Evening of Music to be nostalgically remembered. (T.A.G, Courier)

From 1969 to 1975, John Knox had worked in London, where he had sung in the Bach Choir with Sir David Willcocks. “When he returned home to Wainuiomata in 1975 Mr Knox was determined to get his neighbourhood to sing. The best of choral works were within the scope of ordinary folks who could hold a note, he said, and he told its first members that when the choir was good enough it would accompany professional soloists” (Dompost obituary for John Knox, Feb 2011)

This was achieved within 10 years, when the choir's 10^th anniversary concert featured soloists Wendy Dixon,              _{L to R - Malcolm Rickard, Sir David Willcocks, John Knox}
Geoffrey Coker, Frank Carter and Roger Wilson, and was
conducted by none other than Sir David Willcocks. The 30-strong Wainuiomata Choir, augmented by other amateur singers from the Wellington district, sang a programme of Handel in the Wainuiomata Community Centre to a capacity audience of 350.

Just three years later, in 1988, John Knox and the Wainuiomata Choir spearheaded NZCF's Wellington May Workshops by holding a workshop and performance of music by Gabrielli and Scheidt in Wainuiomata – again conducted by Sir David Willcocks.

Wendy Dixon returned to Wainuiomata as soprano soloist for the choir’s 20^th anniversary. The choir was joined by the Wellington Sinfonia and conducted by Peter Godfrey for a programme featuring music by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Rheinberger.

John Knox was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in 1997 for Services to Choral Music, and in particular for voluntary work with the Wainuiomata Choir and the New Zealand Choral Federation. He retired from the Choir in 2000.  During his tenure the choir gave three concerts a year, giving many young singers performance opportunities as soloists and collaborating with many other choirs and artists.

Collaboration has been an important part of this choir’s ability to perform some of the large choral works that have otherwise been reserved for the large symphonic choirs. In 1992 the Wainuiomata Choir was the core of the Hutt City Festival Choir, which worked with the Napier Civic Choir and Taupō Choral Society to perform the Verdi Requiem in Lower Hutt, Waikanae, Napier and Taupō.

In 2004, a collaboration with the Hutt Valley Singers saw a staged performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, and in 2009 the Wainuiomata Choir collaborated with Taihape’s Arcadian Singers to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death.

Since 2000, the choir has been conducted by a number of Music Directors, some briefly and some for several years, but each has made an impact, as have some excellent accompanists. (MDs and accompanists and their tenures are listed at the end of this article.)

In September 2018 the Wainuiomata Choir changed its name and started performing as the Hutt City Chorale. “We’re still the same choir” says choir chairman David Barrow, “but we’re broadening our horizons and now want to perform for the benefit and enjoyment of the wider Hutt City.” With most of its members and followers from Hutt City, the name change makes sense.” (Wainuiomata News)

Three years later, for its 45th anniversary, the Chorale moved its rehearsal venue from Wainuiomata to the Hutt City centre. After experiencing falling audience numbers and difficulty attracting new singers ’over the hill’, the committee decided that a change of rehearsal venue to Hutt City would be the way to refresh and reinvigorate the choir.

The Hutt City Chorale is now preparing for its 50th anniversary concert, which will be held at 2pm, Saturday 16 May, at the St Mark’s Wesley Uniting Church in Lower Hutt. The choir will present a programme of favourite works performed over the years, as well as some pieces composed by current Music Director Jonathan Berkahn.

Congratulations Wainuiomata Choir / Hutt City Chorale on 50 successful years!

---

Music Directors: John Knox (1976-2000), Lauren Armishaw (2000-1), Heather Keith (2001-3), Jenny Lee (2003), David Beattie (2004-11), Eric Sidoti (2012-14), Elizabeth Marrison (2014), Sue Robinson (2015-17), Thomas Nikora & Andrew Atkins (2018), Michael Vinten (2019), David Beattie (2020-22), Jonathan Berkahn (2023-)

Accompanists: Maurice Faulknor (1976—87), Elizabeth Marrison (2000-16), Philip O’Malley (2017-)

Back to News