Bright Wings

Draw on sweet night: singing on the Trinity Backs

 

A traditional feature of Cambridge University's May Week is Singing on the River, a concert of choral music sung on the Cam River from punts lashed together and lit with lanterns.

The concerts began in 1928, sung by the Cambridge Madrigal Society, under the leadership of Boris Ord. These days they are sung by the Choir of Trinity College.

In this 2005 video of Wilbye's beautiful madrigal Draw on sweet night, traditionally sung at the end of the annual concert, the lantern-lit punts move around on the river and, as the madrigal ends, slowly drifts away until the choir is almost inaudible.

Roy Tankersley MNZM

Roy Tankersley has been awarded a MNZM (Member New Zealand Order of Merit) in the New Year Honours, announced on 31 December 2010.

Well done, Roy. Very well deserved.

Roy has organised many church music activities at community and national level, including direction of the RSCM Winter School.  He is an organ consultant, motivator, workshop presenter, recitalist and choir trainer, as well as running an educational video project. Roy has had an enormous impact wherever he has been. His enthusiasm and passion for church music has inspired generations of New Zealanders.

Roy was for many years Head of Music at Tawa College and later Marsden School, as well as conducting several community choirs.

These days Roy is based as a freelance musician in Palmerston North, where he is Director of Music in the parish of St Marks and St Andrews, directs the Manawatu Youth Choir and Schola Sacra Choir of Wanganui.

Cultural icon acclaimed, but under threat

The NZSO has returned from a triumphant overseas tour, receiving standing ovations in Shanghai, Essen, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, and repeated calls for encores in Vienna and Lucerne, to threats that its government funding, and that of Vector Wellington, is being reviewed.

Reading between the lines it seems that government thinking is that there is no need for two Wellington-based orchestras and, if funding for Vector Wellington was withdrawn - spelling the end of this orchestra, its current funding could be spread between the Christchurch Symphony and Auckland Philharmonia. 

There's no getting round it; touring with an orchestra the size of the NZSO is expensive. Sponsorship is thin on the ground in the current economic climate.

Nailing the NZSO to the ground in Wellington might be very appealing to Treasury number-crunchers, and leave the concert platform clear for the Christchurch and Auckland orchestras. But the NZSO is a world-class orchestra, a national treasure.  Audiences outside Wellington deserve the opportunity to hear it.

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The NZSO's Christmas concert series, with Aivale Cole, and the choirs of Wellington Cathedral, Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, and NZYC Alumni Choir and Jubilate Singers, is on in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch, 9 - 14 December.  Details here

Random act of Hallelujah Chorus

On Saturday, October 30, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia brought together over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation's "Random Acts of Culture" at Macy's in Center City Philadelphia.

Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ - the world's largest pipe organ - the OCP Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's "Messiah" at 12 noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers.

This event is one of 1,000 Random Acts of Culture to be funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation over the next three years. The initiative transports the classical arts out of the concert halls and opera houses and into American communities to enrich everyday lives.  This event was planned to coincide with the first day of National Opera Week.

V8 a capella heading for Wairarapa

 
No, it’s not unaccompanied Holdens, it’s Auckland’s premier a cappella vocal octet V8 Vocal Ensemble.

They are on tour next month and here for one concert in Greytown Town Hall on Saturday October 9th at 5pm.

Young choral talent to sing in Masterton

The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is holding its annual Winter Choir School in Masterton during the first week of the school holidays (6 - 11 July). Choristers aged between 9 and 19 will be coming from all over New Zealand for a week of intensive singing and other musical activities. The school is tutored by three very experienced choral directors - Roy Tankersley (Director), Michael Fulcher and Stephen Rowley.

Their final service and prizegiving is open to the public.  If you'd like to hear some of the best of New Zealand's young choral talent, don't miss the Choir School's Final Service and Prizegiving, 11 am, Saturday 11 July, in St Matthew's Church, Church Street, Masterton.  Retiring collection.