Singing music from the Pacific and the world, the New Zealand Youth Choir gives the final performance of their 2025 international tour.

Founded in 1979, and widely considered the first national youth choir of its kind in the world, the New Zealand Youth Choir has achieved considerable success since its formation, drawing from its unique cultural and geographic origin. Performances in New Zealand and thirteen international tours including visits to the UK, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, Singapore, Russia, the Republic of Korea, China and the Pacific Islands have firmly established its reputation for consistency, energy and excellence. One of the Choir’s greatest achievements was winning the 1999 ‘Choir of the World’ title at the International Music Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales. During their 2016 European Landmark Tour, NZYC won the GRAND PRIX at the 2016 IFAS in Pardubice Czech Republic and also all four categories it competed in.

Though the choir excels in many choral artforms, they have been fundamental in ingraining Maāori, Pasifika, and other multicultural work into NZ’s choral spheres. Under current direction of David Squire, one of NZ’s most prominent choral conductors, NZYC continues to do more, do better, and share choral stories of Aotearoa with the world.

From classics of Western European music to the dynamism of Māori action songs, from emotive spirituals through to music from Samoa, the New Zealand Youth Choir boasts a thrillingly wide variety of music. Be prepared for the incredible vocal skill and unmatched energy of their choreographed performances, a combination that’s seen them crowned as a winner of the Choir of the World competition.

We are so delighted to be revisiting our 2016 ‘Live in London’ venue – Sinfonia Smiths Square!

• Traditional moteatea – Ko ngā waka ēnei

• Te Whānau Wehi – Kua Rongo

• Marek Raczyński – Gaudeamus Omnes

• Josef Rheinberger – Kyrie from Cantus Missae, Op.109

• Johann Ludwig Bach – Das ist meine Freude

• Herbert Howells – In Youth is Pleasure

• David Griffiths – Beata Virgo

• Lili Boulanger – Hymne au Soleil

• Anton Bruckner – Os Justi

• Michel Legrand, arr. Alexander L’Estrange – How do you keep the music playing?

• Anthony Ritchie – Ururangi

• Trad. spiritual, arr. Moses Hogan – The Battle of Jericho

• Trad. Samoan, arr. Igelese Ete – Ua Fetausunu’i Ao

• Trad. Fijian/Tongan, arr. Siliva Gaugatao – Isa Isa Vulagi Lasa Dina

• Tuirina Wehi – Aotearoa

The Auckland members of the New Zealand Youth Choir are delighted to present Tō Mātou Haerenga | Our Journey, a concert series by NZYC Auckland. We invite you to experience our European journey with us, as we present a selection of music from a variety of genres that closely follows our European tour destinations.

On this journey, we explore the Scandinavian territory with works from Alfvén and Pedersen. With Mendelssohn and Gjeilo, you’ll be transported further into Europe. On our journey, we do not forget about home – Puanaki and Komene remind us of our roots, and a surprise feature from Lim reflects our excitement about stopping over in Singapore.

Tō Mātou Haerenga | Our Journey is a concert series fundraising for the New Zealand Youth Choir’s European Tour in July this year. The choir will be competing in two of the world’s top choir competitions: the European Choir Games in Denmark, and the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. Ticket proceeds will go directly to our equity-based hardship fund to ensure no singer is left behind.

Note: If you would like to support our equity-based hardship fund without purchasing a ticket, continue to ‘GET TICKETS’, scroll past tickets, and enter your donation amount under ‘DONATIONS’. 

After the resounding success of ‘The Firefly Wakens’, local members of NZYC are thrilled to present a novel programme celebrating the spirit of childhood!

From South Africa to Singapore, we step into the bright-eyed lives of children across the globe. Stumbling through the coltish joys of youth, we are thrust to the cusp of adulthood and confronted with the wider questions of the world – what it means to love, to long for, when to turn, and when to keep going.

From percussion driven folk songs to tender lullabies, virtuosic solos to lush harmonies suspended in time, this concert will bring together the novel and the nostalgic. Featuring John Tavener’s ‘Svyati’, Eric Whitacre’s ‘A Boy and a Girl’, songs from NZ composer Jenny McLeod’s ‘Childhood’, and three Aotearoa premieres by contemporary composers Maria Kõrvits (Estonia), Toh Ban Sheng (Singapore), and Jacob Narverud (USA), Childhood is a tender tribute to youth, the growing pains of adolescence, and carrying childlike wonder into adulthood.

We are joined by acclaimed cellist Tomos Christie, who is fundraising to pursue further study in Europe in 2025.

We are thrilled to be touring Asia and Europe in 2025, including representing New Zealand at the Grand Prix of Nations in Denmark and Choir of the World competition in Wales. All proceeds will go towards establishing an equity-based hardship fund to ensure that no singer is left behind due to financial strain! 

This event is hosted by the Lower North Island members of the New Zealand Youth Choir and joined by special guests from Wellington!

Our ANZAC Day performance will be held at Wirinaki Whare Taonga in Upper Hutt!

Join us for a concert featuring songs of remembrance and commemoration!