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Warkworth community choir Kowhai Singers is hoping to perform three concerts this year, which would make it the busiest and most ambitious programme to date.
Traditionally, the choir puts on two performances a year. Musical director Ken Leech says it comes down to whether they have enough singers for the second concert, Kowhai Singers on Broadway.
“We’re hoping to do a lovely Broadway-themed concert in the middle of the year so that will hopefully attract a lot of people – both audience and choir members,” he says.
The reason for having three concerts instead of two is to “keep people singing”.
“When you’re in a choir and then you don’t sing for several months, you lose a lot of your tone and your vocal quality. So by keeping the choir going, people still get the opportunity to sing right throughout the year.”
This year’s schedule starts with an Easter concert at the Mahurangi Hope Church on Sunday, April 13 at 4pm. Leech says the choir will be performing sacred music celebrating everything about Easter.
“That’s why we thought it would be appropriate to do it in a church. We’re doing it with audience participation and traditional Easter hymns,” he says.
“This will include excerpts from the Messiah, some spirituals such as ‘Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)’, the amazing ‘Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem’ and some hymns that we will sing with the audience.
“We’re also singing a lot of other beautiful music for Easter, music by composers such as Mozart, which people will know.”
The choir will be accompanied by Helen Lukman-Fox on her digital organ, which will be “quite an experience as well”.
The Kowhai Singers on Broadway concert and will be held at the Leigh Hall on Sunday, August 3 at 4pm and at the Warkworth Town Hall on Sunday, August 10 at 4pm.
“We’ll perform some great arrangements from all your favourite Broadway shows, including Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, Wicked and Aspects of Love – you name it, we have it covered, we’ll be singing all the hits.”
The final concert of the year is From Darkness into the Light and will be performed at the Warkworth Town Hall on Saturday, November 22 at 7.30pm.
“We’re hoping this performance will be accompanied by a string orchestra and percussion, if we have enough sponsorship to cover the additional costs.
“We’ll feature the stunning ‘Illuminare’ by American composer Elaine Hagenberg, which was premiered by the Auckland Youth Choir last year, plus many other pieces on this theme such as ‘Sure on This Shining Night’ by Morten Lauridsen, another US composer.”
Leech says it’s going to be exciting for the audience and the Kowhai Singers alike, and welcomes new talent to join the choir for this year’s programme.
Info: www.kowhaisingers.org or phone Roger Mackay on 021 505 736.
