Andrea Gray

Andrea Gray has worked in the public and private sector in roles including knowledge and information management, introduction of web services to support business service delivery and relationship management. She is currently a General Manager in the Environmental Protection Authority. She has a BMus, BA (Linguistics) and an MA (Library & Information Studies).

She spent many years enjoying supporting her children in their musical endeavours, including a great deal of choral work at their respective secondary schools. This rekindled her desire to sing and she has been a member of the Orpheus Choir of Wellington and, intermittently, the Chorale ensemble of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul since 2006.

Upon her appointment as C

hair in April she said “I am delighted to be able to serve the Choirs Aotearoa NZ Trust and intend to build on strong foundations put down by previous Trustees, management and artistic personnel and the choir members themselves whose work we support, but without whom we would not exist.”

A new biography on Peter Godfrey

Peter Godfrey: Father of New Zealand choral music has been seven years in the making and was released in October 2015. ‘The book draws on conversations with Peter himself, colleagues, friends and pupils throughout his life – people such as Peter Averi, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Karen Grylls, David Hamilton and Nick Tipping. Peter also recalls encounters and friendships with leading figures in the world of music like Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.’ Scoop October 2015

‘Immeasurable’ describes Peter Godfrey’s influence on choral music in New Zealand. The only person to have been chorister, choral scholar and director of music at King’s College, Cambridge, Peter brought those exacting standards to choirs in this country, developing them to international standard.

To buy online:

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The world’s choral community is sad to hear of the death of Sir David Willcocks at the age of 95. Sir David paid regular visits to New Zealand and Australia giving concerts with the NZSO and orchestras of the ABC and was associated with many of this country’s choirs.

Sir David Valentine Willcocks CBE MC, born 30 December 1919 in Newquay, Cornwall, was an internationally acclaimed British choral conductor, organist, composer and music administrator.

He began his musical training as a chorister at Westminster Abbey from 1929 to 1934 and in 1938 took up the appointment of organ scholar at King’s College. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the British Army, and was decorated with the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of Normandy.

From 1957 to 1974 he became Director of Music at King’s College, Cambridge. He made numerous recordings with the college choir and toured extensively giving concerts worldwide. David Willcocks was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1971 and created a Knight Bachelor in 1977 in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Honours.

In 1980 Sir David came to New Zealand to conduct the one-year-old National Youth Choir at the invitation of its founder, Guy Jensen. The concert with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra had as its major work Tippett’s ‘A Child of Our Time’. It was a great success and is fondly remembered by founding alumni of NZYC.

Sir David returned to New Zealand in 1988 to conduct a performance of Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ with members of the Youth Choir combined with the NZ Secondary Student’s Choir together with the NZSO in Wellington Town Hall. John Button in the Dominion reported that the packed hall …’received the performance with enormous enthusiasm.’

In June the NZ Youth Choir heads to Europe for its 2016 European Landmark Tour. This includes performances in Singapore, the International Festival of Academic Choirs in the Czech Republic, Le Quesnoy in Northern France, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Oxford University Church, St Georges Chapel Windsor, St John’s Smith Square in Westminster, Ely Cathedral and St John’s College Chapel, Cambridge. Read more

Arne Herrmann

In February I received the resignation of Roger Lloyd, who has been the Chief Executive of Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust for approximately five years. Over this period Roger has endeavoured to raise the public profile and appreciation of our two national choirs – the New Zealand Youth Choir and Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir – through social media and in-house publications. Using his experience leading other major music organisations, he has introduced a professional arts culture into Choirs Aotearoa’s management and has striven to support the artistic vision of our organisation.

Some personal highlights for Roger include the Mozart Requiem performance by Voices NZ and Orchestra Wellington in Wellington Cathedral in June 2012 and the joint recital ‘Ata Riera’ by our choirs in the Auckland Arts Festival last year. As with the tour to North America in 2013, Roger has been the architect of the upcoming NZ Youth Choir European Tour in July this year. The Trustees greatly appreciate the contribution Roger has made over the last five years. He will leave the organisation in very good shape on 27 May.

We have been recruiting Roger’s replacement and I am delighted to announce that the Trust has appointed

. Arne has secured this position after a thorough and well contested process which attracted over 20 high calibre applications. We were generously supported in the recruitment process by JacksonStone & Partners. Arne will commence his Chief Executive position on 28 May. His first official appearance will be at the Youth Choir’s pre-tour “Farewell” concert on 29 May in Wellington.

Arne has worked extensively in arts administration with management and leadership roles at the Auckland Arts Festival, New Zealand Festival, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the National Jazz Festival, and consulting roles in business development and marketing with organisations such as New Zealand Opera, Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival and Indian Ink Theatre Company.

The Trustees are looking to Arne to lead Choirs Aotearoa into its next phase of development – supporting the growth in the reach and impact of the wonderful music that our artistic team and singers produce. His understanding of and passion for the performing arts will be a great asset for Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust.

Andrea Gray

On its first international concert stop over on its 2016 European Landmark Tour, the New Zealand Youth Choir’s concert at Singapore’s Victoria Concert Hall has SOLD OUT.

The New Zealand Youth Choir (NZYC) won the hearts of audiences and the judges when achieving a clean sweep, winning all four categories they competed in, at the 24th annual International Festival of Academic Choirs in Pardubice, Czech Republic over the last four days. Then, this morning NZ time, they crowned their outstanding performance by winning the overall grand prize – the Grand Prix.

“The choir worked incredibly hard and had developed a culture of doing the job at the time,” says Music Director David Squire. “The highlight was when the choir delivered the most intense performance yet of Waerenga-a-Hika which had audiences and judges in tears.”

“They sang with meaning and heart, which blew the judges away. We knew we were delivering something really special from New Zealand and its culture to European audiences.”

The NZYC competed against 15 European choirs from Russia, Poland, Latvia, and Czech Republic.

The choir will now continue its international tour to Le Quesnoy, a small town in northern France, which was liberated by the NZ Division just four days before the end of WW1, to participate in their memorial services.

From there NZYC will travel to Paris to participate in High Mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral singing an all-Kiwi programme and then to the UK to perform in Oxford, Windsor Castle and the prestigious St John’s Smith Square concert hall in Westminster.

List of Achievements:

Grand Prix – Overall winner
1st place (and gold standard) – Category: Mixed choirs
1st place (and gold standard) – Category: Art song of a particular era or style
1st place (and gold standard) – Category: Folklore of the choir’s nation
1st place (and gold standard) – Category: Spiritual, gospel, jazz and pop

(Watch NZYC performing a concert in the Czech Republic this week)

Michael Stewart is new DMD for NZYC

Dr Karen Grylls has been re-appointed as Artistic Director for Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir (VOICES) and The New Zealand Youth Choir (NZYC) while newcomer and Wellingtonian Michael Stewart was appointed as NZYC’s new Deputy Music Director.

Karen has been with Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand (CANZ), the organisation managing these choirs, since 1989 when taking over as Music Director of NZYC. In 1998 she founded Voices and became the overall Artistic Director in 2011.

“There is still a lot I want to achieve, especially working with VOICES,” says Karen. “We have such a high calibre of singers in this ensemble and we are ready to take things to the next level. This exciting prospect was a big incentive to renew my role with the choirs.”

“Karen is such an asset for our choirs, an inspiration to the singers and a supremely competent choir leader, even on a global scale.” says CANZ CEO Arne Herrmann, “We love her energy, her sense of adventure and desire for innovation and collaborations. We are thrilled that Karen will continue her leadership role for another three years.”

The new member to the artistic team is 38 year old Michael Stewart. He is assuming the role of Deputy Music Director, which was held last by James Tibbles, a key figure in New Zealand’s Early Music scene. By his own admission Michael started his relationship with NZYC as ‘groupie’, when his then-girlfriend-now-wife Anna Sedcole was singing in the soprano section. After a short stint in the bass section of NZYC, Michael was the recipient of a Dame Malvina Major Arts Excellence Award and moved to Canada for a Master of Music degree majoring in organ performance. Back in Wellington he became Music Director of The Tudor Consort in 2007 and Organist and Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul in 2011.

“Michael is an extraordinary find for us.“ says Arne Herrmann, “His experience working with choirs, his strong musical expertise and on top of that being such an outstanding organist and accompanist, makes Michael a wonderful addition to our artistic team, supporting our Music Director David Squire.”

“I am absolutely thrilled at being appointed to this position” ,says Michael. “I feel that my particular skill set, especially the ability to accompany and conduct, make me an ideal fit. I’m looking forward to making music with this outstanding choir, and developing my own skills through contact with the Choirs Aotearoa Artistic Team.”

Both contracts will commence in January 2017 with VOICES being on stage at the Auckland Arts Festival in March and the new NZYC coming together in Wellington for a week-long course in April and concerts on the Kapiti Coast, Featherston and ANZAC commemorations in the city.

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand receives major funding from Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Community Trust. The New Zealand Youth Choir is sponsored by Infratil.

New Zealand’s premier professional choir, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir is releasing its first ever concert series subscription offering four different concert programmes in five centres around the country this year.

LOVE VOICES is the first multi-concert package offered by VOICES and programmes feature inspiring New Zealand composers, the world premiere of a new commission by Victoria Kelly, delightful French music and well-known Baroque classics in a concert with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

The season opens with the immersive surround sound experience that is Jack Body’s Passio at Auckland Arts Festival on Sunday 19 March where the audience wanders freely around and through the performance area to fully absorb the resonances of musicians and singers.

Also in Auckland, VOICES joins the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in August for Baroque Voices, while The Unusual Silence in September commemorates war and features the Victoria Kelly commission. Salut Printemps welcomes spring and will tour four centres.

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust chief executive Arne Herrmann says the 2017 season provides an opportunity to showcase the vocal excellence and versatility of this national choir.

“It’s been our dream for a long time to share this wonderful ensemble with more New Zealanders on a more regular basis.”

VOICES artistic director Karen Grylls is thrilled with the programme for 2017 saying it allows the choir to “flex its artistic muscle. It will challenge our singers to embrace the different choral sounds and textures from the Baroque to today. Performing works by our contemporary New Zealand composers, including a commissioned work from Victoria Kelly to commemorate the WWI centenary is a real privilege for us.”

VOICES performs live in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Hawke’s Bay and beyond during 2017. Choral fans can also add New Zealand Youth Choir concerts to their subscription choice.

For more information about the 2017 programmes and LOVE VOICES click here.

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust receives major funding from Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Community Trust. The New Zealand Youth Choir’s Principal Sponsor is Infratil.