NZCF - 40th Anniversary!

23 Apr 2025

Join us for our 40th anniversary!

NZCF is 40! Forty extraordinary years of connection, community and collegiality. SingFests, The Big Sing, The Kids Sing, conferences, workshops, and so many more events have been held around the country - including up a mountain for the first Sing Aotearoa festivals! And last year we saw choirs from all around the world join us in Auckland at the 13th World Choir Games.

To celebrate these 40 tuneful years we are joining in a weekend of celebrations, culminating in an anniversary lunch. Book a weekend in Wellington to enjoy outstanding choral concerts on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th, as well as a special lunch on Sunday.

Join us at our 40th anniversary lunch in Wellington on Sunday 28 September 2025. Enjoy a 3-course buffet meal in the Copthorne Hotel’s One80° restaurant, overlooking the Wellington harbour.

• Date: Saturday 28 September 2025
• Time: 12.30pm
• Where: Copthorne Hotel, 100 Oriental Parade, Wellington
• Cost: $65

REGISTER NOW

Please note that those who attend the lunch will be eligible for a 10% discount on the O Fortuna! Concert, presented by Orpheus Choir Wellington and Auckland Choral on Saturday night. Booking details and a code for the discount will be sent to you after you register. Read on for details of this concert...

 

Make a weekend of it!

Friday 26 September:
NZ Secondary Students Choir & Aotearoa NZ Academy Choir

The Showcase Concert of Choral Connect 2025 will feature two wonderful youth choirs and a “massed choir” including the conference delegates and conducted by Choral Connect guest international clinician Dr Pearl Shangkuan.

New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir is Aotearoa's national choir for secondary school students aged 13 to 18. They gather during school holidays to rehearse and perform across the motu. NZSSC is directed by Sue Densem, alongside Assistant Conductor & Accompanist Brent Stewart and Assistant Conductor & Vocal Consultant Ben Madden.

'NZSSC's singing is serious, fun, energetic, thoughtful and intelligent' David Sell

Aotearoa New Zealand Academy Choir. The concept for the Academy Choir arose from a "reserves" programme for singers who had just missed out on a place in NZSSC or the NZ Youth Choir. The choir is made up of young members from across Aotearoa who meet during school holidays to rehearse and perform. In 2024, the Academy Choir received a Gold Diploma at the World Choir Games. They are co-directed by Elise Bradley and Rowan Johnston.

• Friday 26 September, 7.30pm
• Cathedral of St Paul’s, Molesworth Street, Wellington

 

Saturday 27 September:
Orpheus Choir Wellington & Auckland Choral

O Fortuna!   A night of musical grandeur as Orpheus Choir Wellington, Auckland Choral, and the Wellington Brass Band unite to present Orff’s monumental Carmina Burana and Bernstein’s radiant Chichester Psalms under the baton of Brent Stewart. Add a children’s chorus and three talented soloists - Emma Pearson (soprano), Stephen Diaz (tenor), and James Harrison (baritone) and this will be a dynamic and powerful performance you won’t want to miss.

Further details here

 

• Saturday 27 September, 7:30pm
• Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington
   

Thursday 25 - Saturday 27 September:
Choral Connect

And if you are a conductor, come to Choral Connect for three days of professional development, then stay on for the O Fortuna! concert and the NZCF 40th anniversary lunch.
Register or find out more about our Choral Connect 2025 conference here.

• Thursday 25 - Saturday 27 September 2025
• Queen Margaret College, Wellington

 

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