Aida at the Proms

The Choir will be singing the Grand March from Verdi's opera Aida at this year's Proms Concert.

My week in Nelson

Just before the first rehearsal of the year, I returned from a week in Nelson, at a choir festival.

The festival is run by the NZ Combined Choir and Orchestra, www.nzcco.co.nz. This was the tenth of their events. The event is held at a camp called Teapot, which is some distance outside Nelson, just past Brightwater, not too far from Rabbit Island Beach.

Musical Director for this year was Jonathan Willcocks, son of Sir David Willcocks. Jonathan is the Musical Director of the Portsmouth Choral Union and the Chichester Singers, in the UK. Sir David has conducted at previous nzcco events.

It was almost full time choral singing. We had sometimes three or four sessions a day, learning the Haydn Nelson Mass, and a work written by Jonathan to commemorate the 200 anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Johathan's work, A Great and Glorious Victory, written in 2005, uses the same orchestration as the Haydn Nelson Mass, plus a percussion player. There is a tenor solo, who sings words based on the diaries of Admiral Nelson, including the prayer written the night before he died. During the time Jonathan was looking to write this work, he found that at the time of the Battle, there was a huge storm, and he was impressed that after the fighting, people from all the warring navies turned to helping each other survive the storm. His work finishes with the audience joining the choir to sing "The Day thou gavest". This 33 minute work is very effectively written for choir, and has already been peformed several times in the UK.

We had 50 people in the choir, ranging from age 13 to 89. There were people from America, one person from Ireland (he has travelled out most years) and a couple from Australia.

We had individual singing lessons. Only 20 minutes, but very worthwhile help for choral singers, dealing with posture, breathing, singing with more energy.

There was plenty of time off - during the day, there was time to visit the beach of local country, including wineries. During the evening, some people got very good at Scrabble, and Mexican Trains, and Peal, which is a fast version of Scrabble.

2010 Concert Season

Zimbe!

Friday 19 February, Dunedin Town Hall :: Last Night of the Proms

The Southern Sinfonia presents this annual Proms concert at which the City of Dunedin Choir provides the choral support. This year's concert featured sopranos Deborah Wai Kapohe and Rebecca Ryan. The Master of Ceremonies was David McPhail and the Conductor was Kenneth Young. The Choir performed 'Hymn and Triumphal March' from Aida by Verdi.

Sunday 28 March, Dunedin Town Hall :: St John Passion

The City of Dunedin Choir, supported by the Southern Sinfonia and conducted by David Burchell, presented Bach's Easter story, the St John Passion. The soloists were tenor Paul McMahon (the Evangelist), Lois Johnston (soprano), Claire Barton (alto), Oliver Sewell (tenor), Chris Bruerton (bass) and Howard Harvey (in the role of Christ).

Sunday 13 June, St Pauls Cathedral :: Fauré & Friends

The City of Dunedin Choir, conducted by David Burchell, presented a concert of a varied collection of little-known motets and part-songs by French composers from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, as appetizers to one of the most enduring French choral works, Gabriel Fauré's Requiem. Musical Director, David Burchell; Assistant Conductor, Michael Dawson; with David Burcell on organ and piano, Rachel Swindells on organ, Catherine Daly-Reeve (soprano) and Benjamin Caukwell (baritone).

* Laudate Dominum - Marcel Dupré (1886 - 1971)
* Calme des nuits - Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)
* Les fleurs et les arbres - Camille Saint-Saëns
* Madrigal - Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
* Ave Maria - Camille Saint-Saëns
* Maria, Mater gratiae - Gabriel Fauré
* Tantum ergo - Gabriel Fauré
* Quatre petites prières de Saint François s'Assise - Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963)
* Cantique de Jean Racine - Gabriel Fauré
* Variations sur un thème de Clement Jannequin - Jehan Alain (1911 - 1940) with David Burchell on the Organ
* Requiem - Gabriel Fauré

Saturday 4 September, King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre :: Zimbe! African Folk with a Jazz Twist

The City of Dunedin Choir, conducted by David Burchell, presented this concert which will included Zimbe!: Come, sing the songs of Africa! by Alexander L'Estrange, and the five Negro spirituals from Tippet's oratorio A Child of our Time. City of Dunedin Choir was joined by St Paul's Catherdal Choristers and the Southern Children's Choir for this performance. Soprano Goeknil Meryem-Biner made a guest appearance.

Britten's Saint Nicolas

Sunday 26 September, King's and Queen's Performing Arts Centre :: Zimbe! and more... Christchurch Earthquake Benefit Concert

City of Dunedin Choir presented a repeat performance of Zimbe!: Come, sing the songs of Africa! by Alexander L'Estrange. City of Dunedin Choir was joined by St Paul's Catherdal Choristers and the Southern Children's Choir for this performance.

Saturday 20 November, St Paul's Cathedral :: Britten's Saint Nicolas

The City of Dunedin Choir, conducted by David Burchell, presented this concert featuring Britten's Saint Nicolas. The Choir was delighted to welcome back world-renowned tenor David Hamilton for this performance.

* Te Deum Laudamus by David Burchell
* Valiant-for-Truth by Vaughan Williams
* Dies Natalis by Gerald Finzi (tenor solo)
* Saint Nicolas by Benjamin Britten