2018 Concert Series Messiah | Page 24

City Choir Dunedin has been entertaining audiences for over 150 years. The choir attracts members of all ages and from all walks of life, from around the Otago region. Over the years the choir has been led and inspired by many talented and dedicated musical directors and it is undoubtedly their drive and vision that are among the reasons for the choir’s longevity and success, combined with the commitment of singers, the hard work of committee members, audience support, and financial assistance from many sources. David Burchell has been Musical Director of City Choir Dunedin since 2000. As Dunedin’s leading exponent of large-scale choral works, the choir strives for the highest standards in performing the classics of the repertoire, such as Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Ninth and Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. In addition, the choir has performed major new works by New Zealand composers. For its 150th anniversary in 2013, City Choir commissioned and premiered a new composition from Christopher Marshall entitled For What Can Be More Beautiful? In 2016 the choir sang Anthony Ritchie’s Gallipoli to the Somme, in 2012 The Journey Home by John Drummond, and Missa Pacifica by David Hamilton in 2006. City Choir Dunedin’s 150th anniversary season included going on tour with the NZSO, performing the Verdi Requiem not only in Dunedin, but also joining forces with Auckland Choral Society, Orpheus Choir of Wellington and Christchurch City Choir for performances in the major centres of New Zealand. City Choir Dunedin enjoyed travelling again in 2014 for a performance of the Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony with Auckland Choral and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and is looking forward to this year’s performances of Handel’s Messiah with Auckland Choral and Pipers Sinfonia. Emily Cox, music director Justine Favell, accompanist Patrons Roy Wales & Alan Mackay-Sim organisations. Its extensive repertoire spans music from the baroque to the present day and includes Australian and world premières. For over two decades the Chorale has performed in QPAC’s ‘Spirit of Christmas’ concerts. It has participated regularly in the 4MBS Festival of Classics, with memorable performances of Verdi’s Requiem, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Rachmaninov’s The Bells, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast. Celebrating the 4MBS Festival’s 25 th anniversary in June this year, Brisbane Chorale, The Queensland Choir and Orchestra Corda Spiritus presented a sell-out “A Choral Spectacular” in the Brisbane City Hall. There were two performances with the QSO in August, “(Not) the Last Night of the Proms” and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, and most recently Mahler’s 8 th Symphony with the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and other choirs, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Conservatorium. For information see brisbanechorale.org.au Brisbane Chorale, a symphonic choir of over 100 voices, has been under the leadership of Emily Cox since 2003. It is an independent performing organisation, enjoying a close relationship with the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, as it has since its formation in 1983 by Dr Roy Wales, then Director of the Conservatorium. The Chorale’s recently published history Our Journey was written by Professor Peter Roennfeldt and made possible by a Brisbane City Council History Grant. The Chorale has a reputation for outstanding choral performance and collaborates frequently with major orchestras such as Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), Camerata, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, as well as choirs and other performance