2021 Concert Season

Celebrating 2021! 

Saturday 20 February 7:30 pm
Dunedin Town Hall

KENNETH YOUNG, conductor

DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

This concert, presented by the DSO, will feature two of New Zealand’s acclaimed opera superstars, Simon O’Neill and Anna Leese, in a programme of highlights from: Bizet’s ‘Carmen’, Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’, Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo’ and Verdi’s ‘Otello’. Simon O’Neill and Anna Leese will be joined by soprano Rhiannon Cooper from the University of Otago, City Choir Dunedin, and leading New Zealand conductor Kenneth Young.

Beethoven's Big Bash 

Wednesday 14 April 7:00 pm
Dunedin Town Hall

Hear a feast of Beethoven’s most popular music performed by Dunedin’s talented musicians. A highlight will be Beethoven’s famous ‘Ode to Joy’ as you have never heard it before! The DSO will be joined by musicians and choir singers of all ages and skills levels who love Beethoven and keen to be part of our glorious community play-in concert – Beethoven’s Big Bash. For this special event, community and student instrumentalists and singers will work together with their DSO and City Choir Dunedin counterparts to create a mass community orchestra and choir performing selected extracts from the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. These extracts have been specially arranged for players of different skill levels so that everyone can join in. Presented in collaboration with Dunedin Arts Festival.

Applaud! Women in Music 

Saturday 29 May 7:30 pm
Knox Church

DAVID BURCHELL, conductor

SOLOISTS: Olivia Pike (soprano), Tessa Romano (mezzo-soprano), Benjamin Madden (tenor)

PIANIST: Sandra Crawshaw

City Choir Dunedin celebrates the contribution to music made by women, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. The programme includes Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Works by women composers range from the Romantic era – Marianna Martines – to contemporary songs by Rosephanye Powell and New Zealand’s own Felicia Edgecombe. Mrs Edgecombe’s song cycle Shaky Places was first performed in 2015, to wide appeal. 

Ode to Joy 

Saturday 12 June 7:30 pm
Dunedin Town Hall

Regarded as one of the supreme achievements in the history of Western music, Beethoven’s Ninth is one of the most performed symphonies around the world. Based on Schiller’s poem ‘Ode to Joy’, it finishes with a celebration of the unity and dignity of human kind, a theme as relevant today as it was in 1824 when Beethoven wrote the symphony. Marshalling the musicians will be conductor Kenneth Young who is one of New Zealand’s leading conductors and also the University of Otago’s 2021 Mozart Fellow. Dunedin audiences have the rare opportunity to hear New Zealanders, Simon O’Neill and Jonathan Lemalu, both of whom have prestigious international careers. Joining them for the special occasion are soprano Amanda Atlas and mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg, two of NZ’s rising stars joined by City Choir Dunedin.

Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle 

Saturday 2 October 7:30 pm

Knox Church

DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS THIS CONCERT WAS POSTPONED UNTIL 2022.

Handel's Messiah 

Tuesday 7 December 7:30 pm

Dunedin Town Hall

DAVID BURCHELL, conductor

SOLOISTS: Lois Johnston (soprano), Claire Barton (alto), Oliver Sewell (tenor), and Paul Whelan (bass)

DUNEDIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 

Handel’s Messiah is heard around the world during the Christmas season, being greatly appreciated, admired and enjoyed. City Choir Dunedin with soloists and the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Burchell, are pleased to again perform this dramatic and passionate work.

Christmas Carols @ Otago Museum

Sunday 19 December 2:00 pm

Otago Museum

DAVID BURCHELL, conductor

MARK ANDERSON, assistant conductor

CITY CHOIR DUNEDIN

City Choir Dunedin presents an hour-long programme of Christmas music for the festive season. Come along to this free performance (koha appreciated) and be touched by the spirit of Christmas at this time of joy and reflection. 

Accompanists: Roland Storm and David Burchell

Outstanding programme to celebrate Christmas

Photo by Ian Thomson

Rejoice! Music for Christmas

Saturday 28 November 2020, Dunedin Town Hall

Last Saturday evening City Choir Dunedin, supported by the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra presented an outstanding programme to celebrate the Christmas season.

The concert opened with Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit. The mass, which featured soloists Lois Johnston (soprano), Caroline Burchell (soprano), Claire Barton (alto), Andrew Grenon (tenor), and James Harrison (bass), offered an opportunity for the choir to display their skill at performing challenging, less well known repertoire. The work features beautiful and interesting harmonic moments, which the choir handled admirably, although a degree of uncertainty or perhaps lack of commitment (in comparison to that displayed later in the programme) meant that the magic was at times lost, leaving the piece to feel a little long.

In Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols the skills of the upper voices of the choir were showcased, supported by the phenomenal talent of Christchurch-based harpist Helen Webby. Featuring soprano soloists Burchell and Johnston, this performance had some extraordinary moments. Johnston’s performance in That Yongë Child was so hauntingly beautiful, you could have heard a pin drop in the audience, while Burchell’s rendition of Balulalow, supported by the women’s chorus, was truly exquisite. Webby, accompanying the choir and soloists throughout, plays with fantastic skill and musicality, with her Interlude being one of my personal favourite moments of the concert. This challenging work displayed the choir’s skill in handling complex polyphony, although at times the diction left a bit to be desired. On the whole, however, it was a great performance of a Christmas classic.

Bach’s Magnificat brought with it a significant step up in the choir’s energy level. Conducted by David Burchell from the harpsichord, this piece brought the choir, orchestra, and all five soloists back together for the second half of the concert. This monumental work showed the full range of the choir’s strengths, in which they gave great dedication and spirit to the music throughout. All five soloists were absolutely thrilling, with Claire Barton in particular giving a standout performance. A fantastic evening! It sounds like City Choir has a great programme lined up for 2021, so keep an eye out for future concerts!

Review by Ihlara McIndoe for The Wave, 7 December 2020.