2018 Concert Series Brochure | Page 3

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.​