Hey, I’m Josh, I am currently a first year student studying at Victoria University of Wellington. I am working towards a Bachelor of Science with a particular interest in Marine biology and biodiversity…but we shall see where that goes in the future. I currently live in Napier and I was also born and raised here. Aside from music, my other major hobbies include tropical fish-keeping, and figurine collecting, with a particular taste for dinosaurs at the moment. One of few quirks happens to be the ability to make decent animal impressions, which is always a good laugh.
Desmond is from Auckland. He is currently in his second year of studying an LLB/BMus conjoint majoring in Classical Performance at the University of Auckland under Dr Te Oti Rakena. Prior to NZYC, he was a member of NZSSC 2017 – 2018 and several other choirs and musical ensembles during his time at St Kentigern College.
Xavier is Wellington-based, and is an ex-Tawa college student. He is currently a first year student at the Victoria University of Wellington, studying a BSc/BMus Conjoint in Psychology and Classical Voice. Also a member of the NZ Secondary Students’ Choir, 2019-20. Hobbies include songwriting and learning languages
Takerei (ia/they/them) is based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and holds a BMus in Classical Performance Voice from the University of Auckland. Takerei is very active in the NZ choral scene as a singer, composer and conductor. They sing in the New Zealand Youth Choir, and Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, and regularly perform with choirs and ensembles around the country. Previously, they were a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir’s 2017-2018 cycle.
Alongside this, Takerei is actively involved as a conductor. They have been the Peter Godfrey Conducting Scholar for the New Zealand Youth Choir, and have conducted choirs at Kristin School, St Paul’s College Ponsonby, Auckland Grammar School, and currently Takapuna Grammar School and Epsom Girls Grammar School. They also developed the Lower Voices Choral Festival, which brought together lower-voice choirs from around Tāmaki Makaurau for an afternoon of bonding over singing and performance. The festival had a successful first outing in May of 2024.
As a composer, they have enjoyed writing various commissions over the years. Their most recent major work, E Kiwi E, was premiered by in April of 2024 by Orpheus Choir Wellington, joined by Wellington Brass and Hiwa Performance Creative. In October of 2024, they were awarded Highly Commended in the national choral composition competition, Compose Aotearoa!, with their piece, Papatūānuku, scored for SATB double chorus.
In their free time, Takerei enjoys playing video games, gawking at sunsets, and begging their three cats to love them.
Bayley is from Wellington and is currently studying French, Italian and Classical Performance in Voice at Victoria University of Wellington. He attended Tawa College, being a member of the school choirs, in school productions and instrumental groups. Previously, Bayley was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir from 2019 to 2020 and is a current member of the Orpheus Choir Wellington. As well as singing, Bayley also plays the Piano and Saxophone.
I’m from Wellington and I attended Wellington College. I am currently studying Law and Politics at the University of Auckland. I was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir and I play the guitar and piano.
Ren-C is from Wellington. He attended St. Patrick’s College in Wellington and was a member of the “Con Anima” choir as well as barbershop quartets, the jazz band and the chapel band. He was a member of the 2017 – 2018 NZSSC Cycle. He is currently studying Medicine at the University of Otago. As well as choral singing, Ren-C also plays the guitar, piano, bass and the drums, and enjoys a fair bit of RnB and jazz. He also likes playing basketball, football and a bit of volleyball.
Growing up in Auckland, Hamish has been a passionate singer for most of his life. In 2019, after being heavily involved in music at Macleans College, Hamish began studying towards a BCom/BMus degree at the University of Auckland, specialising in classical voice. Studying under Dr Te Oti Rakena, here he enjoys singing in the University of Auckland Chamber Choir and performing in the annual Opera Scenes. When he is not singing, Hamish enjoys composing with a particular interest in choral music.
I’m a 20 year old student from Wellington who’s in my last year studying musicology and composition, as well as a lot of maths on the side (which are much more compatible than you might think.) I’m an active chorister in the Wellington region, singing in several choirs and arranging songs for many more. I play the violin as well, taking part in orchestras, events and shows around Wellington. I also like to play some guitar and piano, and read scores/peruse albums on the internet in my spare time. Outside of music, I really love theatre, art and learning languages.
Samuel is a second year student, currently studying towards a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland. Originally from Havelock North in the Hawke’s Bay, Sam has been classically trained as a tenor. Throughout his schooling and tertiary education, Sam has been a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, lead by Dr. Andrew Withington, and was set to perform with NZ Voices this year, lead by Karen Grylls. Coming from a musical family, Sam has developed an appreciation for many different styles of music. He has performed in many productions throughout his schooling, and completed his ATCL Diploma in Voice at the end of 2018. Finally, Sam feels very privileged to be a member of the NZYC 2020-2022 cycle, and is looking forward to starting his journey with the rest of the choir.
