Chamber Choir

The University of Auckland Chamber Choir went on an international tour to Singapore and the United Kingdom from 30 May-14 June 2011.  This was an exciting opportunity for the choir, with concerts at some of the finest venues in the UK: St Paul's Cathedral London, St James’s Church, Piccadilly, St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle and Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. In Singapore, the Choir performed at the Esplanade Concert Hall, one of five concert halls in the world with state-of-the-art acoustics.

As well as performing in the concerts and participating in University of Auckland alumni  events, Choir members enjoyed visits to the Royal College of Music, the British Library, a rehearsal of Peter Grimes at Covent Garden, and other theatres, galleries and museums.

The video below was made prior to the Choir's departure for the tour. It features Director Karen Grylls and a piece performed at their farewell concert held at the School of Music on 11 May.

The University of Auckland Chamber Choir has recently released a CD of choral repertoire recorded live on their international tour in 2011.

Magnificat contains an eclectic collection of English, contemporary New Zealand and Pacific-inspired choral works. Included in the recordings are works by English composer Michael Tippett and New Zealand works by Andrew Baldwin and Kate Bell, both members of the choir. The CD also features a specially-commissioned piece by School of Music lecturer Dr Leonie Holmes Through Coiled Stillness, and Si manu la’ititi, an arrangement of a traditional Samoan folk song by choir member Steven Rapana. The Māori waiata Aio, by Tuirina Wehi and Tuwhiti Happy, completes the CD.

Download Magnificat 320 kbps MP3s (99.6 MB zip)