WELCOME TO OUR ALUMNI

In its near 40-year long history, the New Zealand Youth Choir has touched the lives of about 1,000 singers.

The singers go on after their NZYC turn and create a legacy for New Zealand. Some turn into singing stars, like Jonathan Lemalu, Teddy Tahu Rhodes or Anna Leese or the three Sol3Mio performers. Many go on to be music teachers sharing their skill and passion with thousands of students (from primary school level to universities), or direct and conduct dozens of community choirs from Dunedin to the Hawkes’ Bay, Wellington to Hamilton. Others translate their confidence into careers as doctors, engineers or, like Hilary Barry, media personality (interview in Sunday Star Times: Hilary talks about her time in NZYC: ..” one of the best experiences of my life”).

Below are featured some alumni who have carved out solo careers on the international stage. But we want to celebrate all our alumni and will continue to update a complete list of singers who have come through NZYC.

In the future alumni will be able to edit their profile pages and add updates and 'then and now' photographs.

FEATURED ALUMNI

Madeleine Pierard

SOPRANO 2000-2003

Lyric Soprano, Madeleine Pierard began her musical life as a pianist and chorister in Napier, New Zealand and later as a member of The New Zealand Youth Choir, The Tudor Consort and Voices New Zealand.http://www.madeleinepierard.com/

Natasha Wilson

SOPRANO 2014-2016
Natasha Te Rupe Wilson (Te Arawa, Ngā Puhi), soprano, has a Bachelor of Music, (Honours, first-class), majoring in classical vocal performance, from the University of Auckland and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Vocal Studies, from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Teddy Tahu Rhodes

BASS 1984-1988

New Zealand baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and studied with David Harper. He has performed with the opera houses of San Francisco, Philadelphia, Austin, Washington, Houston, Dallas, Cincinnati, Santa Fe, Munich, Hamburg and Leipzig, and for Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Chatelet Theatre Paris and Theater an der Wien.

Martin Snell

BASS 1979-1988

I value enormously the experiences of my National Youth Choir association, the friendships established over a long period which still hold today, although many are now spread beyond New Zealand

Pene Pati

TENOR 2006-2007

Pene with his brother Amitai Pati from Mangere, and their North Shore baritone cousin Moses Mackay, are SOL3 MIO, a combination of three powerful and moving operatic voices, with more than a dash of uncontainable Samoan humour.

Moses MacKay

BASS 2008-2010

North Shore baritone Moses Mackay together with Amitai and Pene Pati from Mangere are SOL3 MIO, a combination of three powerful and moving operatic voices, with more than a dash of uncontainable Samoan humour.

Amitai Pati

TENOR 2008-2010

Amitai with his brother Pene Pati from Mangere, and their North Shore baritone cousin Moses Mackay, are SOL3 MIO, a combination of three powerful and moving operatic voices, with more than a dash of uncontainable Samoan humour.

Tecwyn Evans

BASS 1989-1995
Tecwyn studied composition and conducting at the University of Otago under Associate Professor Jack Speirs. A Fulbright Scholarship enabled him to continue his studies in the US under Brian Priestman and Simon Carrington. After four years as Chorus Master at Glyndebourne Festival Opera making his debut conducting on the Glyndebourne tour, Tecwyn was a finalist in the 2005 Leeds’ Conducting Competition. He has held positions at Grazer Oper and Danish National Opera and conducted for all the main arts organisations in New Zealand.

Simon O’Neill

TENOR 1991-1992 (1st Bass)

Simon O’Neill has established himself as one of the finest helden-tenors on the international stage. He has frequently performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Berlin, Hamburg and Bayerische Staatsopern, Teatro alla Scala and the Bayreuth, Salzburg, Edinburgh and BBC Proms Festivals…

Jonathan Fa’afetai Lemalu

BASS 1995-1999

The choir for me has been very beneficial, not only for my musical and theoretical skills, but also my ability to listen, which for a solo singer is fairly important….You need a lot of skills linguistically, physically-even things like looking after the voice….which the National Youth Choir over the five years I was in it did very well

Anna Leese

SOPRANO 2000-2001

Anna graduated from the University of Otago in November 2003, with a first class honours degree in music. In 2006 she graduated from the Benjamin Britten International Opera School at the Royal College of Music, London, and won the Queen Elizabeth Rosebowl, which was presented by HRH Prince Charles in 2007