The Tudor Consort celebrates 40 years

31 Mar 2026

When Simon Ravens started conducting a specialist early music choir in Wellington in 1986, its unlikely that he dreamed that they would still be thriving forty years later!
 

Simon tells a lovely story on his website about how the choir formed.

"Having an elder brother emigrate to New Zealand was a happy happenstance for me. After university, in December 1985 I went out to visit him. I arrived in Wellington on a Tuesday, and by the Friday I found myself conducting some of New Zealand’s best young singers. Strange, but true. I’d met them the previous evening at a Wellington Cathedral Choir practice, and they’d invited me to join them carol singing for charity. Well, the following lunchtime I was the only one to turn up in town with a tuning fork and any experience of directing a choir. So off we went. Those singers were the nucleus of The
    _{The Tudor consort in February 1987 at Nelson Cathedral}                    Tudor Consort."

From its inception in the choir room of Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, The Tudor Consort has been at the forefront of choral music in New Zealand and has been blessed with committed and talented musicians as well as a supportive and enthusiastic audience. 

The first performance Music of the Tudor Church, held on 23 April 1986, was hailed by reviewers as a huge success.

“This choir already occupies a unique position in our musical life after just one concert. May there soon be more.”—John Button, The Dominion Post, April 1986

Simon Ravens was Music Director of The Tudor Consort until the end of 1990, returning to conduct several concerts in 1992. His tenure included a tour to the UK and several recordings. Peter Walls took over as MD in 1991 and directed the choir until 1999, including an award-winning recording for Naxos. In 2000 the choir was led by Ivan Patterson and then Alastair Carey conducted until 2007. During Alistair’s time, the choir were prize-winners at two editions of the Tolosa International Choral Competition and they toured to Italy.

Current Music Director Michael Stewart took over in 2007, and under his leadership The Tudor Consort has branched out into larger-scale choral-orchestral repertoire, including performances of Messiah with Orchestra Wellington and the NZSO,  Bach's St Matthew Passion and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. 

The choir has also included a number of contemporary New Zealand works under Michael Stewart's direction. He says:
"I’m particularly proud of the music from Aotearoa that we have been involved in creating: works by Gemma Peacocke, Ross Harris, Jack Body, and the incredible 'SoundCathedral' of Michael Norris that was performed during the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in March this year.” 

 The Tudor Consort - "SoundCathedral" by Michael Norris. March 2026

Founding member Andrea Cochrane describes her time with the group: “TC unlocked the beauty and splendour of early music for many of us - singers and audience alike - and it’s kept filling our buckets since then. I still get goosebumps every time I sing O Nata Lux!”

The Tudor Consort will formally celebrate their anniversary on May 2 with XL (think Roman numerals…) where they will perform not one but two forty-part works - the famous Spem in allium by Thomas Tallis, and Tentatio by contemporary Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, featuring staging by director (and former TC member) Jacqui Coats.

Michael Stewart has given this call out - I would like to encourage all TC alumni to get in touch with us, as we also plan to have a bit of a renaissance singalong and get together to celebrate that we are now ‘over the hill’.

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