Uwe Grodd
Music Director
Welcome to our exciting mix of composers and performers for our
2018 season.
We will premiere a new version made for Auckland Choral of New
Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie’s quietly anti-war work Gallipoli to
the Somme.
In July we explore boundaries: Beethoven’s Mass in C was breathing a new
spirit into the form of music itself whilst wanting to please the Esterhazy
family; similarly, composers Reinhard Flatischler and Johnny Bertl, Vienna,
explore new ways of communicating music in their specially written work
for Auckland Choral – Space Beyond Space. Virtuoso drum dialogues between
Flatischler, the exciting Grammy-nominated percussionist Túpac Mantilla
from New York, and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra promise
the audience a dazzling experience. Our favourite workshop destination,
Waiheke, will culminate in an informal concert with popular choral classics.
This year’s Christmas celebration will be the choir’s 100th consecutive
year of singing Handel’s glorious masterpiece Messiah. For this unique and
exhilarating occasion we welcome singers from several choirs including
from Dunedin and Brisbane who will be joining our stylish Pipers Sinfonia
and a stunning line-up of soloists, including our very own Simon O’Neill
and Metropolitan Opera star Heather Johnson.