The University of Auckland Festival Choir, conducted by Peter Godfrey was formed in 1970 to represent

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

at the third International University Choral Festival in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in May 1972. In addition to attending the Festival the 40-voice choir toured and performed in England, the Netherland, Germany and Singapore. In mid-1970 Godfrey formed the choir to audition for a place to attend the Festival. It was the first time a New Zealand choir had been invited to participate in the non-competitive Festival. Two earlier Festivals had been held in 1965 and 1969. Auditions were conducted by the Festival director James Bjorge who visited New Zealand in November 1970 to audition choirs in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. The Auckland choir was selected to represent New Zealand as a joint universities choir was considered unfeasible. When travel arrangements were investigated it was found that the cost of travel around the world was not substantially more than a return flight to New York so concerts in England, Europe and Singapore were planned. In preparation for giving recitals the choir gave its first concert in May 1971 followed by a tour of the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

later that year performing in Palmerston North, Wellington, Hastings, Napier, Rotorua, Tauranga and Hamilton. These were also fundraising events as the 40–voice choir had to raise the funds for travel although once in the United States the Festival covered their expenses. No funding was forthcoming from the

Golden Kiwi Golden Kiwi was a New Zealand lottery which began in December 1961 and ended in 1989. It was based on philanthropic art union lotteries held for many decades prior. One of the objectives of the Golden Kiwi lottery was to keep funds in New Zeala ...

lottery funds and only a small amount from the

Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government established in 1963. It invests in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes a ...

. Choir uniforms were designed by fashion designer Colin Cole and made of wool donated by the Wool Board. For performing the women wore a long dark bottle green dress with a bib front over a saffron-coloured blouse while the men wore a dark brown trousers with a saffron shirt. For day wear the women had an emerald green suit and the men dark brown trousers and cinnamon-coloured jacket. The choir logo on souvenir programmes and brochures, consisting of lines representing the 40 choristers radiating from a harmonic centre, was designed by artist Richard Wolfe. The choir undertook its tour to the United States, England, the Netherlands, Germany and Singapore between 7 April and 16 May 1972. During April the choir toured the East Coast for ten days giving recitals at high school and university campuses. The tour included

Suffolk Community College Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) is a public community college in Selden, New York. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is funded in part by Suffolk County, New York. Suffolk County Community College was f ...

in Selden,

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

;

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University () is a private university with its main campuses in New Jersey, located in Madison / Florham Park and in Teaneck / Hackensack. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University offers more than 100 degree prog ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

;

West Chester State College West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

;

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

;

Wilde Lake High School Wilde Lake High School is a secondary school located at the village of Wilde Lake in Columbia, Maryland, Columbia, Maryland, United States. It is one of the 13 public high schools in Howard County, Maryland, Howard County. The school is central ...

, Columbia,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

; Ferguson High School,

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

; the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

, Chapel Hill; Stratford College, Danville, Virginia; Southern Seminary Junior College, Buena Vista, Virginia. At Ferguson High School the school library caught fire during the concert; after evacuating the choir continued to sing in the car park including the madrigal ''Fire Fire My Heart'' by

Thomas Morley Thomas Morley (1557 – early October 1602) was an English composer, music theory, theorist, singer and organist of late Renaissance music. He was one of the foremost members of the English Madrigal School. Referring to the strong Italian inf ...

. After the tour the choir joined the 15 other choirs in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

to perform in the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

and attend a reception at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

hosted by

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as the Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, second lady ...

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

. The choirs then moved to New York for the Festival where they performed at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, conducted by Willi Gohl and at the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

, conducted by Robert Shaw. Under Shaw the massed choirs sang among other things ''Dona Nobis Pacem'' from the B Minor Mass by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

, the ''

Hallelujah Chorus ''Messiah'' ( HWV 56), the English-language oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1741, is structured in three parts. This listing covers Part II in a table and comments on individual movements, reflecting the relation of the musical se ...

'' by

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

, the spiritual ''Soon Ah will be Done'', the ''Echo Madrigal'' by di Lasso and ''

Gaudeamus Igitur "Gaudeamus igitur" (Latin for "So let us rejoice") or just "Gaudeamus", also known as "De brevitate vitae" ("On the Shortness of Life"), is a popular academic commercium song in many European countries, mainly sung or performed at university ...

'' by

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

. After the Festival the choir travelled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 1 May. Invitations had been received to sing at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

and in the chapel at King's College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. En route from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

the choir visited The Maltings, Snape having been invited to visit by composer

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and tenor

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

. The purpose of the visit was for Britten and Pears to meet a choir member, Christopher Lackner, who was the first recipient of a Pears-Britten Award, a scholarship set up by Britten and Pears in 1970 on a visit to Auckland. "The choir presented a short recital in the Maltings Concert Hall and Christopher Lackner sang a group of songs." They also made an impromptu visit to the convent at

Hengrave Hall Hengrave Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor era, Tudor manor house in Hengrave near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England and was the seat of the Kitson and Rokewode-Gage baronets, Gage families 1525–1887. Both families were Roman Catholic recusant ...

, the home of composer

John Wilbye John Wilbye (baptized 7 March 1574September 1638) was an English madrigal composer. Early life and education The son of a tanner, he was born at Brome, Suffolk, England. (Brome is near Diss, Norfolk.) Career Wilbye received the patronage of th ...

, where they sang his

madrigal A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) and early Baroque (1580–1650) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the ...

''Sweet Honey-Sucking Bees.'' The choir then travelled to the Netherlands giving a concert in the church of St Servaas in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

, followed by concerts at the Orangerie at

Schloss Benrath Schloss Benrath (Benrath Palace) is a Baroque-style ''maison de plaisance'' (pleasure palace) in Düsseldorf-Benrath, Benrath, which is now a borough of Düsseldorf. It was erected for the Elector Palatine Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

and at St Andrew's Cathedral in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. On its return to New Zealand the choir performed in Auckland at the closing of the

Auckland Festival Formerly known as Auckland Festival, Auckland Arts Festival or is an annual arts and cultural festival held in Auckland, New Zealand. The Festival features works from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond, including world premieres of new wo ...

on 27 May. It was lauded in the press as the "best choir New Zealand has produced" and in July 1972, it gave a concert in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

where its "supreme music" was likewise praised.

Repertoire

The choir sang secular and sacred music and included 16 works by New Zealand composers in their repertoire. Works included were ''Lord, when the sense of Thy sweet grace'' by John Ritchie; ''An heavenly song'' by Donald Byars; ''Qui natus est'' by

Gillian Whitehead Dame Gillian Karawe Whitehead (born 23 April 1941) is a New Zealand composer. She is of Māori Ngāi Te Rangi descent. Her Māori heritage has been an important influence on her composing. Early life Whitehead was born in Hamilton in 1941 ...

; ''People look East'' by

Jack Body John Stanley Body (7 October 1944 – 10 May 2015) was a New Zealand composer, ethnomusicologist, photographer, teacher, and arts producer. As a composer, his work comprised concert music, music theatre, electronic music, music for film and d ...

; ''Dormi Jesu'' by David Griffiths; ''Estas in exilium'' by Nigel Eastgate; ''Three of a kind'' by

David Farquhar David Andross Farquhar (5 April 1928 – 8 May 2007) was a New Zealand composer and professor of music at Victoria University of Wellington. Biography Farquhar was born in Cambridge, New Zealand, in 1928 but spent most of his early years in F ...

and ''Blow me eyes'' by John Wells. Some music was composed especially for the choir: ''Tenera Juventa'' by Ronald Tremain (words from ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

)'', ''And is there care in heaven?'' a motet by Thomas Rive (words by

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...

), and ''Ghosts, Fire, Water'' by

Douglas Mews Douglas Christopher Mews (born 1956), is a New Zealand classical organist and harpsichordist and he is also a composer. He holds the position of City Organist, Wellington, New Zealand. He is the brother of Constant Mews. Biography Mews was the ...

(words by British poet

James Kirkup James Harold Kirkup (23 April 1918 – 10 May 2009) was an English poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote more than 45 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. He wrote under many pen-names including James Falconer, Aditya Jha, ...

.) The poem from Kirkup's anthology ''No more Hiroshimas: poems and translations'' was based on three of the Hiroshima Panels. Audiences and choral conductors were interested in the works by contemporary New Zealand composers and by ''Ghosts, Fire, Water'' in particular. Audiences were profoundly moved by ''Ghosts, Fire, Water'' with the audience in Maastricht giving it a standing ovation. As there was particular interest overseas in Māori songs Mews arranged three songs for the choir: ''Hoki Hoki'', ''Akoaka O te Rangi'' and ''

Pōkarekare Ana "Pōkarekare Ana" is a traditional New Zealand love song, probably communally composed about the time World War I began in 1914. The song is written in Māori and has been translated into English. It enjoys widespread popularity in New Zealand as ...

''. The choir's standard repertoire for a programme consisted of ''Jubilate Deo'' by

Orlando di Lasso Orlando di Lasso ( various other names; probably – 14 June 1594) was a composer of the late Renaissance. The chief representative of the mature polyphonic style in the Franco-Flemish school, Lassus stands with William Byrd, Giovanni Pierlui ...

, the ''Agnus Dei'' from the ''Mass for Four Voices'' by

William Byrd William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English Renaissance composer. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native country and on the Continental Europe, Continent. He i ...

, the double motet ''Warum Ist Das Licht Gegeben?'' by

, ''Ghosts, Fire, Water'' by Douglas Mews and ''Tenera Juventa'' by Ronald Tremain. At the Lincoln Center concert the choir sang the following works: ''Jubilate Deo'' by

, ''Sweet Honey-Sucking Bees'' by John Wilbye, ''Tenera Juventa'' by Ronald Tremain and ''Ghosts, Fire, Water'' by Douglas Mews.

Legacy

After attending the Festival the choir was renamed the Auckland University Singers and toured Australia in 1974 and 1980. Godfrey retired as conductor in 1982 and was succeeded by Peter Watts and

Karen Grylls Karen Lesley Grylls (born 9 July 1951) is a New Zealand choral conductor. She is an associate professor in choral conducting at the University of Auckland and founder of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir. Early life and education Grylls was ...

. A silver jubilee of the Festival Choir and Auckland University Singers was held in 1995.

Alumni

Notable former choir members include composers David Griffiths and Derek Williams.

Recordings

* *

References

External links