Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013 Concert Season


The Last Night of the Proms

Thursday 7 March 7:30pm, Regent Theatre


The Last Night of the Proms - one of the most popular music events in Dunedin will be a musical celebration of the England vs. New Zealand Cricket Test from March 6-10 in Dunedin. With close to 170 musicians on stage, the programme will showcase a very wide range of popular classical music performed by outstanding musicians from Dunedin and around New Zealand. Presented by Southern Sinfonia. City Choir Dunedin provides choral support.


Nature's Bounty
Saturday 23 March 7:30pm, Knox Church


The Choir has commissioned New Zealander Christopher Marshall to write a new choral work to mark our anniversary year. For What Can Be More Beautiful? uses texts extolling the wonders of nature, including one by an early Dunedin seed merchant, which gives the piece a distinctive Otago flavour.

Complementing this will be the Choir’s evocative and colourful 1988 commission by Jack Speirs, Cantico del Sole, the ‘Canticle of the Sun’ based on words by St Francis of Assisi.

Celebrating the Choir’s musical heritage we will perform the Victorian masterpiece Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. This oratorio describing the splendours of an American-Indian banquet rivalled Messiah and Elijah in popularity amongst English-speaking choirs in the early decades of the 20th century and was performed at least three times by the Dunedin Choral Society.

These three works combine to create a musical palette which is contemporary, dramatic and romantic – and is a great way for us to begin our year-long celebration.

Soprano - Grace Park and Tenor - Matthew Wilson
with the Southern Sinfonia conducted by David Burchell

Verdi Requiem with the NZSO

Saturday 22 June – Town Hall, Auckland
Wednesday 26 June – CBS Arena, Christchurch

Thursday 27 June 6:30pm – Town Hall at the Dunedin Centre

Saturday 29 June – Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

Lisa Harper-Brown (sop), Margaret Medlyn (mezzo), Rosario La Spina (ten), Jud Arthur (bar)
Pietari Inkinen, conductor

The Choir is thrilled to have been invited by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to perform one of the greatest works in the choral repertoire, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. Not only are we performing this huge, powerful and moving work with the NZSO in Dunedin, but the Choir will also travel with the orchestra to the other main centres, and join with Auckland Choral Society, The Orpheus Choir of Wellington and Christchurch City Choir in their respective performances.

The Choir performed the Verdi Requiem during our Centenary in 1963, so this opportunity is a very fitting 150th celebration.

Southern Sinfonia International Series 3
Journey to Central Europe

Saturday 21 September 8:00pm, Town Hall at the Dunedin Centre


Mozart: Mass in C Minor – The Great
Dvorák: Symphony No. 6

Simon Over 
– Conductor; Anna Leese – Soprano; Emma Fraser – Soprano; Benjamin Madden – Tenor; Joel Amosa – Baritone
City Choir Dunedin and Southern Youth Choir

Mozart’s Great Mass, composed in Vienna in 1782 but premièred in Salzburg in 1783, has been described as having “dark-toned and solemn, [and also] forthright and vigorous choruses, sumptuous solo arias, and ensembles of ornate, operatic radiance.” With our four soloists (all trained in Dunedin) and Southern Youth Choir, we celebrate City Choir Dunedin’s 150th anniversary year.

City Choir Celebrates 150


Labour Weekend sees the Choir in party mood. We invite you to join us in our celebrations including the launch of the Choir’s History, a dinner and church service. The highlight of the weekend will be a gala evening of Choral Masterpieces, sung by an augmented Choir.

Saturday 26 October

  • 5:15pm – 6:00pm Reception, Town Hall Foyer
  • 7:00pm for 7:30pm Dinner and music, Town Hall

Sunday 27 October

  • 10:00 am Church service at Knox Church

Sunday 27 October: Choral Masterpieces
5:30pm, Town Hall at the Dunedin Centre

With the Southern Sinfonia, Helen Medlyn, mezzo-soprano, and Martin Snell, bass.
Also with Peter Wigglesworth, tenor, and James Burchell, treble.
Conducted by David Burchell

Choral Masterpieces will include extracts from Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Bach’s St John Passion, Fauré’s Requiem, Ritchie’s Southern Marches and other highlights of the symphonic choral repertoire. The evening will also feature favourite arias from the choral and operatic repertoire performed by acclaimed New Zealand soloists Helen Medlyn and Martin Snell.

Handel's Messiah
Tuesday 10 December 7:30pm, Town Hall at the Dunedin Centre


150 years ago, Messiah was the first oratorio to be performed in Dunedin, on Christmas Eve 1863, so Handel’s masterpiece provides a fitting finale to City Choir’s 150th anniversary year. Performed around the world during the Christmas season, Messiah is the most-performed major choral work of all time. It is greatly appreciated, admired and enjoyed.

City Choir Dunedin with the Southern Sinfonia, conducted by David Burchell, is pleased to perform this oratorio again this year. We are delighted to welcome home Jonathan Lemalu (bass) for this performance and together with Lois Johnston (soprano), Amanda Cole (mezzo), and David Hamilton (tenor), we will provide a fantastic opportunity for you to experience a world-class live delivery of this dramatic and passionate work. This will be a performance to inspire, uplift and enrich the soul.

Conducted from the harpsichord by David Burchell
Soloists: Lois Johnston (soprano), Amanda Cole (mezzo-soprano), David Hamilton (tenor) and Jonathan Lemalu (bass)
Orchestral accompaniment by the Southern Sinfonia

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