And now for a bit of Vivaldi

I'm just in awe.

We got the Southern Sinfonia's brochure with the concerts for this year, today. There will be three subscription concerts this year, as well as the Sunday afternoon ones, and the Prom Concert and the Heritage Concert in March.

May 2 will be especially interesting for City of Dunedin Choir members, because David will be playing the Poulenc Organ Concerto, and he will also be playing in the Saint Saens Organ Symphony.

Then, the mid year concert will include Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and the Sibelius Second Symphony, and the third concert in September will be the one where our choir will sing the Haydn Nelson Mass.

Opera at the Rialto

The 2009 Metropolitan Opera season has begun at the Rialto, starting this month. Did you catch La Fille du Regiment last December? It was fabulous!

There is still time to see Dr Atomic next week and Salome on Waitangi Day.

Here is the link to the full season programme: www.nzmetopera.com.

Summer Recital

Dunedin-based soprano singer Emma Fraser and pianist Kirsten Simpson are scheduled to perform in Dunedin at the end of this month.

The classically-trained duo will perform at Dunedin's Knox Church on Thursday January 29th at 7:00 pm.

Christchurch-based Simpson will provide accompaniment to Fraser's operatic performance of favourite arias and songs by Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss and Gershwin. Classical music lovers can also expect the soprano and pianist to perform material from virtuosos such as Puccini, among others.

Tickets to the concert are priced at NZ$20 for adults, while students and senior citizens can benefit from NZ$15 concessionary admittance.

Fraser and Simpson have both recently returned to New Zealand following a series of successful concert performances in London.

Fraser is an accomplished soprano vocalist and has performed with a number of prestigious companies around the world including the Australian Opera Studio and the Southern Sinfonia.

She graduated with a bachelor of music degree from the University of Otago in 2000 and with a post graduate qualification from the same institution in 2002.

2009 Concert Season

Anniversary Accolades concert

February 2009 :: Last Night of the Proms

Friday 27 February 2009, 7:30 pm, Dunedin Town Hall and Saturday 28 February 2009, 7:00 pm, Oamaru Opera House
The Southern Sinfonia presents this annual Proms concert at which the City of Dunedin Choir provides the choral support. This year's concert features mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn. The Pianist is Tom McGrath, the Master of Ceremonies is Ginette McDonald and the Conductor is Kenneth Young.
The Choir performs Toward the Unknown Region, a song composed by R. Vaughan Williams with words by Walt Whitman.

Saturday 21 March 2009, Dunedin Town Hall :: Heritage Festival

The City of Dunedin Choir and the Southern Sinfonia join forces in this Dunedin Heritage Festival concert entitled Southern Stars, Celebrating the Life, Times and Works of Frances Hodgkins, starring actress Rima Te Wiata and soprano Deborah Wai-Kapohe. The conductor is Marc Taddei.
The Choir performs Serenade to Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and an extract from Anthony Richie's From the Southern Marches.

Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July 2009, St Paul's Cathedral :: Anniversary Accolades - Celebrating Classic Choral Composers

The City of Dunedin Choir presented music by Handel, Purcell, Mendelssohn and Haydn. In 2009 we celebrated 200 years since the birth of Mendelssohn, 350 years since the birth of Purcell, 200 years since the death of Haydn and 250 years since the death of Handel.
* Handel: The King Shall Rejoice
* Purcell: Come ye Sons of Art (Birthday Ode for Queen Mary)
* Mendelssohn: As the Hart Pants (Psalm 42)
* Handel: My Heart is Inditing
* Haydn: The Seasons Part 1: Spring
The soloists were soprano Lois Johnston, alto Claire Barton, tenor Stephen Chambers and baritone Andreas Hirt. Conductor: David Burchell, assisted by Michael Dawson.
Orchestra: Southern Sinfonia

Saturday 12 September 2009, Dunedin Town Hall :: The Glory of Haydn

The City of Dunedin Choir joined the Southern Sinfonia to perform Haydn's Missa in Angustiis, also called the Nelson Mass, in a concert presented by the Southern Sinfonia. The soloists were soprano Rebecca Ryan, alto Claire Barton, tenor James Rodgers and baritone Jared Holt. The conductor was Simon Over.

Tuesday 8 December 2009, Dunedin Town Hall :: Messiah

The City of Dunedin Choir, supported by the Southern Sinfonia, presented Handel's Messiah.
The soloists were soprano Emma Fraser, mezzo-soprano Kate Spence, tenor David Hamilton and baritone Robert Tucker, and the conductor was David Burchell.