Jennifer Opperman, alto
Singing in the choir for 50 years
It all began with Hallelujah...
Dunedin first heard Messiah on Christmas Eve 1863, and it
has been performed frequently ever since. The Choir’s new
definitive history tells the story of the first 150 years, setting
its activities in the context of the social and artistic fabric of
the developing city and country.
The Life and Times of a Choral Society
will be published early in 2019, price $45.
To reserve copies or register interest
email [email protected]
For more information go to
www.citychoirdunedin.org.nz
I joined ACS in 1969 after attending their
performance of St Matthew Passion in the
original half of Holy Trinity Cathedral
where the audience was invited to join in
the Chorales (the tunes and words were
included in the programme).
My first performance was CarminaBurana
with the NZSO (what an experience!) Since
then I’ve sung in almost all concerts from
the large masses of Bach, Beethoven and
Bernstein to Christmas carols in shopping
malls and hotels in the CBD, Last Night of
the Proms and Symphony Under The Stars.
Thanks to ACS programming I have been
introduced to a very wide range of both
secular and sacred choral music.
Also in these 50 years we have visited and
sung for, and with, choirs from Kerikeri
to Dunedin and Brisbane and I joined
The World Festival Choir to sing Mozart’s
Requiem in Cairo and Alexandria.
It has been a wonderful interest and as
much as I enjoy our yearly performances
of Messiah my absolute favourite choral
masterpiece is Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius.
opposite : Messiah 2002. Peter Watts,
conductor, with soloists Katherine Wiles, Kate
Spence, Shaun Dixon and James Harrison and
Pipers Sinfonia. acs archives , poynton terrace .