Archive

1947 :: Elijah

In August 1947 the choir performed Mendelssohn's Elijah, with Warwick Braithwaite conducting. The Choir was then known as the Schola Cantorum of Dunedin.

It is interesting to note that in those days the ladies did not wear a uniform, while the men were clearly uniformly dressed.

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1956 :: Messiah

In December 1956 the choir performed Handel's Messiah, with W.H. Walden-Mills conducting.

The soloists were Mauritz Engelen (tenor), Dora Drake (soprano), Valda McCracken (contralto) and Charles Naylor (bass).

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1963 :: Centennial Concerts

In 1963 the Dunedin Choral Society celebrated 100 years of singing with an awesome three concerts mere days apart. The choir was assisted by the Dunedin Concert Orchestra. The Conductor was Professor Peter Platt.

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At the opening of the centennial celebrations the Mayor, Mr Sidey said: "Although the modern generation lived in a different world - with television, stereophonic sound and cinema - there was still a place for societies such as the Dunedin Choral Society in their lives." (Evening Star, 7 September 1963)

Tuesday 10 September 1963 in the Dunedin Town Hall :: Haydn's Creation

Soloists: Heather Taylor, Anson Austin, Maurice Taylor.

Thursday 12 September 1963 in the Dunedin Town Hall :: Verdi's Requiem

Soloists: Vincente Major, Lily Latisheva, Revel Rice, Grant Dickson.

Saturday 21 September 1963 in St Paul's Cathedral :: Britten's St. Nicolas

With the A Capella Choir of the University of Otago and the boys of the Cathedral Choir. Soloist: Anson Austin.

1980 in the Dunedin Town Hall

At this concert in the Dunedin Town Hall in 1980 Peter Warwick was the conductor and Ian Thompson played the organ.

The ladies of the Schola Cantorum wore the legendary orange dresses in those days. These were changed later in the 1980s for a more appealling blue uniform.

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1988 in Knox Church

This posed photograph of the Schola Cantorum was taken in the Knox Church in Dunedin on 16 November 1988.

The Accompanist at that time was Roland Storm, the Musical Director was Peter Adams and the President was Hugh Montgomery (from left to right in the front row directly behind the orchestra).

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1994 in Australia with Pavarotti

With the death of Luciano Pavarotti on 6 September 2007, a number of our choir members have been reminiscing about the experience of singing with the great tenor in Australia thirteen years ago.

Seven of our current members and one now deceased, joined more than a hundred others from around New Zealand to go across the Tasman and join the World Festival Choir for performances of the Verdi Requiem in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The conductor was Gustav Kuhn, seen here at rehearsal with Pavarotti.

Remembering those wonderful occasions are Meryl Macdonald, Agnes Hodges, Barbara Bell, Gaynor Haig, Natalie Baylis, Jane Edwards and Di Wales. Also on the trip was the late Blanche Jensen.

This photo shows some of the City of Dunedin Choir members and their friends at supper one evening during this concert tour. From left to right: Mike Jenkins (deceased), Meryl MacDonald, Agnes Hodges, Gaynor Haig, Natalie Ellis Wilson, Mike Costello and Jane Edwards.

Jane recalls one particularly spine-tingling moment in the Domine Jesu movement, sung by the quartet of soloists.

"The four soloists enter in ones and two, building up to fortissimo in a fugue for all four on the words Quam olim Abrahae which then fades to a diminuendo. Then, over the orchestra playing ppp, the tenor comes floating in with the words Hostias et preces tibi, Domini, laudis offerimus. A phrase made for Pavarotti!" says Jane.