Compose Aotearoa! is a new national initiative to stimulate the creation of new and diverse New Zealand music for choirs. Designed as an annual competition facilitated by the national body managing our three national choirs, Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust, Compose Aotearoa! will be a rewarding pathway for young as well as established composers to produce new work.

For over four decades our national choirs have benefitted from and contributed to the creation of new New Zealand choral works. With this competition we aim to encourage the development of choral writing in New Zealand and provide a high quality performance opportunity for these works. We invite submissions for choral works suitable for performance by any one of NZ Secondary Students’ Choir, NZ Youth Choir or VOICES New Zealand.

Find out more on the Choirs Aotearoa NZ website here.

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand (CANZ) continues to thrive and we are looking for new Trustees with specific skills. We’d love to hear from you and invite you to send your governance CV to canztrustees@gmail.com by 7 August 2020. If you have questions you can contact the current CANZ Chair at this email address or by text 027 278 6050.

The Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust governs three national choirs with great domestic and international reputations – NZ Secondary Students Choir, NZ Youth Choir and Voices NZ. We work under the leadership of the internationally renowned Dr Karen Grylls as Artistic Director.

The Trust is a dynamic organisation which aspires to and achieves artistic excellence while developing the artists and contributing to  the place of New Zealand contemporary vocal music with commissions and performances of New Zealand works. We have excellent working relationships with our major funding organisational partners – Creative New Zealand, Infratil and NZ Community Trust – and enjoy the generous sponsorship and donor relationships with a wide variety of committed individuals. Our highly capable management team is led by Chief Executive, Arne Herrmann, and they complement the top artistic talent we attract.

We would like to hear from people who appreciate excellence in artistic performance and the creative arts, and have the governance skills to make a difference for our top quality endeavours.  The Trustees have a strong governance focus, currently meeting 5 times a year, generally online for a couple of hours, with one more strategically focussed face to face meeting for around half a day.

CANZ Trust Board

We have reviewed our governance skill mix and, in the context of the direction we want to take, we   are looking for a managed transition towards inclusion of the following skills on the Trust Board.

1. capability and experience in one or more members to support the embedding of CANZ’s approach to partnering with Māori that is commensurate with our role as a national organisation, and builds on the many good things already acknowledged as happening in this area
2. high end / strategic finance and business thinking – somebody who has contemporary experience of formal reporting & audit practices, supporting the CE to work with the management accountant and supporting the Board’s strategic conversations
3. business or political networks – someone who has networks and connections which may help us open doors otherwise inaccessible to us to support the CE turn these into actionable opportunities

CANZ Foundation Trust Board

We are also looking for new members for the Choirs Aotearoa Foundation Trust Board, again for a managed transition from the establishment members, who have achieved the organisation’s initial goals.

We are looking for skills in the areas of investment management, marketing and communications to oversee and grow the current invested funds, through bequests and donations.

The Foundation Trustees currently meet on an as required basis; as it enters its next stage of maturity, the meeting frequency and patterns may change as the Trustees see fit. The CANZ management team provides administrative support for the Foundation.

New conducting roles for New Zealand’s premier choir

The next step in nurturing conductor talent

Choirs Aotearoa NZ is delighted to announce the establishment of four new Associate Conductors of premier national chamber choir Voices New Zealand, Auckland-based Nicholas Forbes, Fiona Wilson, Rowan Johnston, and Wellington-based Isaac Stone. Associate Conductors will engage in our regional development activities and will also support the Artistic Director in various leadership and musical roles in rehearsal, and on the concert platform.

Artistic Director Karen Grylls says these four have contributed significantly during their time so far with the choir, and hopes this role will create opportunities for their development as future conductors on the professional stage.

Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir made its debut at the 1998 New Zealand International Arts Festival and later that year won awards at the Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain. With its distinct New Zealand sound, Voices NZ regularly performs at Arts Festivals around the country, collaborates with orchestras, taonga puoro and other artists across creative genres. Many of the singers, like Isaac Stone, are alumni of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir and New Zealand Youth Choir.

Isaac will be the first of the four Associate Conductors in action later this month, he will be leading a Voices NZ ensemble of six singers at ‘Classical on Cuba’ from CubaDupa, an upcoming two day music festival. The Voices NZ ensemble ‘Six on Cuba’ are performing at various bars and an art gallery on 27 and 28 June.

More about the Associate Conductors:

Fiona Wilson shared that “being a member of Voices NZ has deeply informed and influenced my musical journey as a singer and conductor.” Fiona has been a member of Voices NZ Chamber Choir since 2006 and has previously sung with NZ Youth Choir, London’s BBC Symphony Chorus, Auckland Chamber Choir and Dorian Choir. Fiona is currently the Director of Cantare, the premier girls’ choir at Westlake Girls High School in Auckland, and is the Head of Music. “The opportunity to work with Karen, who first sparked my love of choral music, is a significant and personal honour”.

Originally from Christchurch, Nicholas is a tutor and postgraduate student at the University of Auckland, studying conducting. He is the Musical Director of Harbour Voices and GALS choirs and currently, the acting Director of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland. New Associate Conductor Nicholas Forbes shared that “to work with a choir of Voices NZ’s stature, under the guidance of Dr. Grylls, is a great privilege.”

Rowan Johnston was a member of the NZ Youth Choir from 1993, and has been part of Voices NZ since 1999. Rowan agreed that it was a “huge privilege” to be asked by Dr Grylls, who he described as a “taonga in the NZ choral scene”, and is excited to work with the whole musical team. Based in Auckland, Rowan conducts the acclaimed school choir, Choralation and is Director of Choirs at Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland.

Isaac Stone teaches classroom music, classical singing and leads the choral programme at Tawa College, including the chamber choir Blue Notes which recently received a Gold Award at the NZCF Big Sing Finale. He is the founding musical director of the innovative Wellington-based choir Supertonic and sings in a number of choirs in Wellington, including Tudor Consort and Inspirare. Isaac has said “It’s an absolute privilege to be asked by Karen to take on this role, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute the skills and knowledge I have acquired back into this incredible organisation.”

More about Voices NZ:

Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir made its debut at the 1998 New Zealand International Arts Festival and later that year won awards at the Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain. With its distinct New Zealand sound, performing music from Aotearoa New Zealand and infusing the qualities of its pacific origins into the classic choral repertoire, Voices NZ regularly performs at Arts Festivals around the country, collaborates with orchestras, Chamber Music New Zealand, taonga puoro and other artists across creative genres. As a nationally selected choir, Voices NZ runs nationwide auditions annually.

Classical on Cuba will take place on the 27, 28 June 2020, Wellington. Tickets are available from this website: https://www.cubadupa.co.nz/classicaloncuba

For enquiries or more information, contact Arne Herrmann on 0272761751 or email ceo@choirsnz.co.nz

www.voicesnz.com

Today’s announcement by the government to limit indoor events to 100 people means that most of our activities will be impacted. These restrictions will most certainly be in place during April when we had planned several concerts. Some of these concerts have already been cancelled and more cancellations will follow. This is disappointing news for singers and audiences alike and will affect many professional artists, contractors, suppliers and their whānau. But these are unprecedented circumstances and we are fully committed to keep our people safe and healthy.

Find out more here…

Standing on Marine Parade before this concert, a calm green/blue sea, gulls and a dark-lined horizon, I wondered how on earth a wholeness could be created out of the great risotto of influences identified in the programme notes. From sea serpents, whales, Mother Theresa, Māori, Finnish, Indonesian cultures, waka made of human bones, and so much more.

Seated in a full-to-busting MTG, I was carried along in the story by the grand expansive, though strangely intimate, backdrop videos of the oceans. The horizon calling the audience out onto the glimmering sea surface, while being bathed in the great variety of sound created by the human voice.

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New Zealand’s premier national chamber choir, Voices New Zealand, performs a stunning musical reminder of the beauty and importance of our oceans. Taonga Moana is born from the desire to talk and sing about topics that are acutely relevant to people at present. The current state of our oceans is a highly-charged topic that presents an opportunity to connect concerned people with the choral art-form.

Choral singing for many is seen as a static event that takes place in churches and sacred spaces, but Taonga Moana aims to blast that perception out of the water with an immersive theatrical experience – a musical story fusing atmospheric visuals from the oceans with live sounds from the ensemble to bring audiences a mesmerizing, exhilarating and thought-provoking experience.

One of the driving forces behind the project is internationally-renowned New Zealand choral conductor Karen Grylls. “One thing we learned early on in the project was the oceans, and their issues, are all connected.” She met with ocean experts and campaigners to really understand the central issues that our oceans face. Issues such as temperature change, the impact on global food chains, the reduction in biodiversity and how pollution and plastics wash into rivers, entering oceans and ultimately affecting what ends up on our plates. “I developed a real sense of what happens in the Atlantic is connected to what happens in the Southern Ocean, which impacts on the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. This meant that our music had to show the interconnection of all oceans.”

Grylls set out to source a global mix of musical creatives to tell the story and collaborate with prominent New Zealand theatre and opera director Sara Brodie . The result sees works from composers in Latvia, Indonesia, Canada, Finland and the U.S. come together in a programme that highlights that connectivity of our waters. The resulting story follows the flight of the kuaka – the godwits – and their hero, the ancient Maori navigator Ui-Te- Rangiora’s, from the freezing arctic through the rough Atlantic, the burning Indian and epic Pacific oceans to the sanctuary of Antarctica.

Nearly half of the music has been commissioned, or rewritten by the composers specifically for this project. Grylls says “it wasn’t hard to find musicians who wanted to lend their voice to this important topic.”

But the artistic voice about our neighbouring white continent, the Antarctic, was determined to be found in Aotearoa. “And we did” said Grylls, “in Warren Maxwell.”

Maxwell is the driving force behind psychedelic blues quartet Little Bushman and a founding member of Trinity Roots. A musical giant in Aotearoa, Maxwell was one of the five inaugural recipients of an Arts Foundation New Generation Award in 2006, and became a perfect fit as he had spent time on the ice as an artist-in-residence in 2016. “This was a chance for Warren to express his life-changing experience into a creative project, and for us to connect his composition prowess with choral music – something he’d never done before” Grylls says. With that, Maxwell’s first choral composition, Te Tai Uka a Pia (The Tides of Icy Shards), was created and has become his way of sharing his emotional response to Antarctica with the world – a place which he has decsibed as “gobsmackingly beautiful… it just left me breathless!” Maxwell was so moved by the project he ended up writing a second piece which will see its world premiere on this tour. Hind Mahaasaagar is about the Indian Ocean and incorporates Hindi verse with Tibetan throat singing – a testament to the varied musical styles Maxwell is known for.

It’s clear the project has emotionally moved Grylls. “I am very honoured and proud to be conducting Taonga Moana with Voices NZ. We are lending our voices to a relevant and contemporary issue that demands our attention and action at every level. I invite and challenge audiences to be part of this journey.” Grylls is joined for the first time by director Sara Brodie, whose works include Auckland Theatre Company’s ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime’ and New Zealand Opera’s ‘Hohēpa’. It’s a topic close to Brodie’s heart, and creating a narrative framework for Taonga Moana has been “an epic journey drawing on the skills of wonderful collaborators who figuratively, and in some cases, literally plumb the depths.” “We have drawn on current oceanic research, religions, mythologies, and historical figures of old to craft a story across the world’s oceans” she adds. “It is not intended to be a lesson, rather a musical reflection of the power we possess to protect or destroy.”

Taonga Moana is an exciting event for anybody who cares about our planet, loves exquisite music and appreciates human creativity – the explorers, the seafarers, the beach dwellers, the thinkers, the environmentalists.

ENDS

PROGRAMME
DAVID HAMILTON Karakia Of The Stars
JAMES GORDON Frobisher Bay
JAAKKO MÄNTYJÄRVI The Seafarer
JEFF ENNS The Sorrow Song Of Whales
MOZART Dies Irae/Lacrimosa
WARREN MAXWELL Hind Mahaasaagar
KEN STEVEN Henkatan Jiwa
ERIKS ESENVALDS A Drop In The Ocean
MASON BATES Observer In The Magellanic Cloud
WARREN MAXWELL Te Tai Uka a Pia

ARTIST INFO
Composers include David Hamilton (New Zealand), James Gordon (Canada), Jaakko
Mäntyjärvi (Finland), Jeff Enns (Canada), Warren Maxwell (New Zealand), Ken Steven
(Indonesia), Eriks Esenvalds (Latvia) and Mason Bates (United States)
Creative Team includes Dr Karen Grylls (Music Director/Conductor), Sara Brodie
(Director/Storyboard), Briar Grace-Smith (Script Development) and Tim and Mic Gruchy
(Audio Visuals)

CONCERT INFORMATION
Running Time: 70 minutes with no interval

WHERE & WHEN
INVERCARGILL | 4 October at 7.30pm
DUNEDIN | 5 October at 7.30pm
CHRISTCHURCH | 6 October at 5.00pm
HAMILTON | 11 October at 7.30pm
NEW PLYMOUTH | 12 October at 7.30pm
PALMERSTON NORTH | 13 October at 5.00pm
NAPIER* | 18 October at 7.30pm
NELSON* | 19 October at 7.30pm
GISBORNE* | 20 October at 7.00pm – tickets here

Tickets from chambermusic.co.nz/taongamoana or voicesfortheoceans.nz

* Features as part of the Nelson, Hawke’s Bay and Te Tairawhiti Arts Festivals.

Photo by Aja Lethaby

Creating meaningful links between the sung pieces was poetry by UK poet Godfrey Rust presented by Catrin Johnsson:

“The universe from which Love sprang
started with a Tiny Bang
when Love, to everyone’s surprise,
came dancing out of paradise…” ‘Dancing’, Godfrey Rust

Johnsson lifted the words off the page with such profound and sincere delivery, it added a genuine depth to the occasion.

Centred around Christmas and the spirit of Christianity, the choir began the programme with Bob Chilcott’s contemporary “Nova Nova” with joyous call and response between sections. This led to the multitalented Pasifika composer Igelese Ete and his “Nova Nova” a gem that received it’s premiere last night. Here Voices NZ gave us warmth and beautiful intelligent singing, cupped handclaps added a Samoan touch.

Chris Artley’s premiere of his take on “Deck the Halls” airlifted the tone into fun jazz sounds. Here the especially shiny sopranos led the melody with real confidence and beauty. Along with the delicious endpiece of Peter Gritton’s “Follow that Star”, the Artley was a welcome lift of style and rhythm.

Voices NZ has a beautiful choral sound born of schooled singers with top technical ability. Grylls draws out a disciplined and exacting sound which gives this choir a focussed purity which is hard to beat. The sopranos particularly shone last night, but the whole ensemble is right on Gryll’s fingertips. It was challenging choral music – Daniel Elder’s “O Magnum Mysterium” of 2013 undulated on waves of hummed notes and created pure magic. There were angelic sounds from the women and glorious tone from the men. Good solo spots were also on offer – beautiful soprano and tenor solos formed a youthful frame for the Stephanie Martin piece “An Earthly Tree”.

How fortunate is NZ to have so many notable composers and for these premiers to be performed by such a fine choir. “Quittez Pasteur” by David Hamilton, featured Canteloube-like folk melodies and a charming roundelay finish. An alto/soprano duet vignette lit up Anthony Ritchie’s “Es ist ein Ros”. Eve de Castro-Robinson’s “Star of Wonder” brought an inventive new take on traditional Christmas carol texts. Even if the choir wasn’t altogether comfortable with the tricky accented rhythms and the bodhrán drum accompaniment was slightly tentative.

But the stand-out performance of the evening was Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Stars” of 2011. Positioned around the audience, the singers fanned out surrounding us with their resonance. Added to this the composition calls for sustained notes from Tibetan singing bowls and pitched wine glasses. It was spine-tingling and profoundly moving to be immersed in these voices as their sound rose high into the vaulted ceiling of St Matthew-in-the-City.

Daniel Elder’s “Star Sonnet” suffered unfairly from being the aftermath of such glory. Ideally, a short sharp little firecracker would have been better programming. Similarly for the John Taverner, “Sleep” was just a little too sleepy, and although beautiful by nature, the audience could have used cold water rather than a blanket.

And perhaps there could be more curiosity from a choir specialising in the NZ sound to root out an Aotearoa-like soundscape, especially around the time of Matariki. Robert Wiremu’s “Extra Rations of Wine”, a story of the early Europeans’ experience of Aotearoa at Christmas time, reverted to a European style Hodie Christus natus est but there could have been a moment spent in the lush forests on the shores of Abel Tasman’s anchorage. Even so, it was nice storytelling and a welcome change of colour.

Screenshot 2019 07 22 at 4.20.44 PM

But one thing is for sure, I will certainly return again. Voices New Zealand takes the audience on such an assured and crystalline journey, every concert will offer great musical riches to those fortunate enough to be present.

New Zealand composers were represented with six newly commissioned choral arrangements of traditional carols, and the 24 semiprofessional singers directed by internationally acclaimed choral conductor Karen Grylls rendered magnificent interpretations of the a capella settings.

Clarity of text is often lost in this venue, but overarticulation would have destroyed the magic and beauty of this genre’s pure kaleidoscopic resonance.

Katrin Johnsson (language and vocal coach) introduced items with relevant poetic extracts by contemporary English poet Godfrey Rust.

Spirited renderings of two versions of Nova Nova (one by Samoan composer Igelese Ete of Moana soundtrack fame) accustomed both choir and the large audience to cathedral acoustics and reverb, and revealed the choir’s strength and projection.

Familiar themes and ‘‘falalahs’’ of Deck the Halls were subtly encased in diverse rhythmic blends in a modern take by Chris Artley, and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, newly arranged by Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie, highlighted an immaculate union of sound, particularly in the unwavering soprano fadeout.

O Magnum Mysterium (Daniel Elder) featured melded whirling circles of tight harmonies — so effective.

Nonintrusive soprano solo lyricism over everchanging harmonic fabric illuminated David Hamilton’s Quittez Pasteurs, then came a contrast with Star of Wonder, by Eve de CastroRobinson, when bass drum percussion set contemporary tonality in a palate of pulsating dynamics but leaving discerning traces of the popular traditional carol.

Stars, by Eriks Esenvalds, used effective waterglass accompaniment, complementing the surround of sound, as choir members grouped in threes in the side aisles.

The recital ended with Birthday Sleep (John Tavener) and Hodie Christus Natus est, by Robert Wiremu.

Such a heartwarming treat for a bleak winter day.

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/otago-daily-times/20190722/281711206238329