Meet our Conducting Tutors

Dr Karen Grylls CNZM has recently retired as Associate Professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Auckland. She conducted the New Zealand Youth Choir from 1989 to 2011, founded Voices NZ in 1998, and is currently Artistic Director of three internationally acclaimed national choirs: these two and the NZ Secondary Student’s Choir. Under her musical directorship, the New Zealand Youth Choir enjoyed notable international successes, including the Silver Rosebowl in the “Let the Peoples Sing” radio competition in 1992, “Choir of the World” at the 1999 International Eisteddfod in Llangollen and the “Grand Prix Slovakia” also in 1999. With equal success Voices New Zealand won first and second placings in the mixed choir section of the Tolosa International Choral Competition in October 1998. In 1996 Auckland University honoured her with a Distinguished Teaching Award in Music and in 1999 she became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to choral music. She is also the recipient of the KBB Citation from the Composers’ Association of New Zealand and the Lilburn Trust Citation for services to New Zealand music, and in June 2023 she was further honoured as a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for her services to choral music. 

Jono Palmer is a dynamic and enterprising conductor from Auckland. His choirs have won national and international acclaim, including two Gold Medals at the 2015 Grand Prix of Nations in Magdeburg, Germany, and many awards at regional and national festivals of The Big Sing. As a conductor, Jono has been selected for masterclasses at the 2017 World Symposium of Choral Music and the 2017 National Collegiate Choral Organization National Conference. In October 2018, he was a finalist in the inaugural London International Choral Conducting Competition. In 2022, Jono took up the position of musical director for the Auckland Chamber Choir based at the University of Auckland, where he also lectures in conducting and music theory. Jono earned a MM in Choral Conducting from Indiana University, a BMus(hons) in Performance Voice, and a BA in Ancient History from the University of Auckland. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Choral Conducting at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Jono recently co-presented a paper with Elise Bradley titled The Voices of Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (Oceania) at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul in April 2023.

Dr Andrew Withington has a PhD in Choral Pedagogy and a Masters in Choral Conducting Performance with First Class Honours. During his doctoral studies he created an approach to improve tuning in choirs which was published in the American Choral Directors’ Association’s Choral Journal. 

Andrew has recently returned from the United States where he was Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities and Voice Area Head at Westminster College. In 2020, he was voted “Professor of the Year” at the College.

For 10 years, Andrew was Artistic Director of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir. He is a registered teacher, and is currently freelancing as a conductor, choral consultant, teacher educator and mentor for beginning teachers.

David Squire has been Music Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir since 2011 and is the first alumnus director of the choir. He also directs international award-winning ensembles Voicemale (Westlake Boys High School), Euphony (Kristin School), the Westlake Symphony Orchestra, and since the start of this year the Auckland Youth Choir.

David completed his undergraduate study at the University of Auckland, with an emphasis on conducting and composition, later graduating with a Master of Music degree with first class honours in choral conducting.

Current chair of the New Zealand Association of Choral Directors, David is also a national conducting advisor and tutor, and served as a governance board member of the New Zealand Choral Federation for nine years. He is in demand around the world as a clinician, educator, guest conductor and adjudicator, and is the choral director for the International Schools Choral Music Society.