Marek is from Wellington where he attended St Patrick’s College in Kilbirnie. He was called up to the New Zealand Youth Choir at the start of 2019. Currently working as a health administrator; Marek is taking a break from studying at Victoria University of Wellington. He is a member of the Orpheus Choir of Wellington and is learning to play the organ.

Emily is from Auckland, New Zealand and is currently studying Classical Voice and Italian at the University of Auckland. She attended Saint Kentigern College where she spent a lot of her time in musical productions, choirs, and playing cello in orchestras. Emily was a part of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir touring to Canada in 2016 and joined NZYC in 2019.

Maggie is completing a Conjoint Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor of Science at the University of Auckland. She is currently working as a junior acoustic and vibrations engineer.

She grew up in Christchurch where she attended Burnside High School and was a member of choirs ‘Bel Canto’ and ‘Senior Chorale’. Here was where her passion for choral music began.

Maggie attained an ATCL in Singing in 2017 and sings regularly with the Auckland Youth Choir, as well as playing the piano as a hobby. She joined NZYC in 2019.

Jennifer works as a General Practitioner in Timaru and has been an NZSSC Board member for six years. She was  initially a Parent Representative when her daughter Eleanor became a choir member. Jennifer stayed on as a Board member and has welcomed the opportunities to be involved with helping our young members fulfil their potential as choristers and as New Zealand representatives.  Her daughter is a previous member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and Jennifer feels privileged  to remain on the Combined Board and be part of the continued delivery of excellent choral music in New Zealand.

Gary is a Business Professional with 30 plus year’s experience in the technology sector. He has worked for large multinational IT organisations and currently works for a nationwide technology provider as an Account Director.

As a parent to 4 grown children, he has been actively involved in a number of artistic, sporting and educational organisations including 5 years as a member of the Suzuki Music Auckland Committee and nearly ten years supporting various volunteer positions at Epsom Girls Grammar School.

Gary became a Trustee to the NZ Secondary Students Choir (NZSSC) in 2017 and has recently accepted a similar role on the Board of Trustees for the newly converged Choirs Aotearoa.

Amanda Barclay is a lawyer and public servant based in Wellington. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Music from the University of Otago, and a Masters in Law, (In House Practice) from the College of Law in Sydney. Amanda has been a member of all three national choirs; NZSSC, National Youth Choir and Voices NZ, as well as being a member of the New Zealand Opera Chorus and Wellington based Tudor Consort ensemble.

I have extensive experience in education that includes lecturing in pre-service teacher education, coordinating Professional Practice and the selection of teacher trainee intakes; teaching in a range of settings as a music specialist and classroom generalist in primary schools and the wider community. 

Governance roles have included chairing Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa (MENZA), and the inaugural NZSM MMus Therapy post graduate programme external advisory board. Currently I am President and interim Chair for the Music Therapy New Zealand Council (MThNZ) and have recently been a member of the Registration Board. I am the national representative for MENZA on the International Society for Music Education (ISME) Council, and a member of the Advocacy working group.  

My longstanding interest in supporting emerging talent includes young singers, and I have had the privilege of Chairing the NZSSC Trust Board for ten years. I am excited by the new opportunities that merging with CANZ brings, and look forward to working on the CANZ Board to further champion and expand the scope of the national choirs.  

Blake is from Auckland’s North Shore. Before joining the New Zealand Youth Choir, he went to Westlake Boys’ High School, where he sang in “Voicemale” and “Choralation” choirs, which kick-started his love for choral music.

Along with NZYC, Blake also currently sings in the University of Auckland Chamber Choir, where he is studying a conjoint degree in Engineering and Music, majoring in composition. Blake also plays piano and guitar, and enjoys singing in smaller ensembles in his spare time.

Ella is a student at Auckland University studying for a Bachelor in Music and Commerce.
She is a current member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and Auckland Chamber Choir. Ella is working with her singing teacher Dr. Morag Atchison and enjoys singing under Dr Karen Grylls at ACC. Ella joined Voices NZ in early 2018.