Bill Power, deputy music
director 1965-1983.
When I first arrived in
New Zealand and joined
Auckland Choral, my
first concert here was
Messiah. It did not take
me long to realise that
Messiah was not new to
me at all. I sang For Unto
Us A Child Is Born and
Hallelujah when I was
in Shanghai, although
I did not know they are
from the great work of
Handel. My familiarity
with the music enabled
me to gain confidence
in this new country. My
own experience proves
the saying that “music
is a world language”.
Although our members
have different mother
tongues, different skin
colours and different
religious backgrounds,
Messiah has the magic
to unite the choir and
audience to celebrate
Christmas and show how
we love our lives and how
we integrate as Kiwis in
this lovely country.
aria zhang, alto
Peter Watts conducting, 1997.
David Hamilton, deputy
music director 1996-2011.