Festival Singers 2021 plans

Thanks for visiting our website.

We have resumed 7:00pm Monday night rehearsals at Newlands Christian Assembly 126 Newlands Road, Newlands, Wellington

If you are looking for a choir to sing with in 2021 we’d love hear from you.

Here is a summary of our plans for the remainder of 2021:

• Dvořák Mass in D: 3:00pm Sunday 23 May 2021.
  St James Anglican Church, Lower Hutt
  

  We will also perform Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass

• Starlit Night concert: Early July

Matariki themed concert featuring: Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars by Jonathan Dove

• Ceremony of Carols Christmas Concert: Late November

Featuring Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, with Michelle Velvin harpist.

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Festival Singers’ Choral Workshop

Our workshop was well attended.

We will hold another workshop later this year.

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• Our Musical Director

  

  We welcomed Ingrid Schoenfeld as our Musical Director from July 2019

  Ingrid Schoenfeld is a classical pianist and accomplished teacher. She completed her Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance with first-class Honours at the New Zealand School of Music.

  She has learned primarily from Richard Mapp as well as Dr. Jian Liu, and has played in masterclasses for Diedre Irons, Janos Cegledy, Paul Rickard-Ford, Natalia Sheludiakova, and the New Zealand String Quartet, among others. In addition to piano, she also studied harpsichord for three years under prominent early music specialists Dr Erin Helyard and Douglas Mews.

  She made her orchestral debut in 2016 with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra, playing Shostakovich’s 2nd piano concerto.

  Ingrid studied conducting at the New Zealand School of Music under Kenneth Young, and has conducted and accompanied multiple choirs around Wellington, including the Northern Chorale, St. James church choir, and the St. Mary of the Angels Youth Choir.

  She sang with the St. Mary of the Angels church choir for two years, was a reserve member in the New Zealand Youth Choir, and currently sings in the Wellington Cathedral Choir under Michael Stewart.

  In addition to performing regularly in solo, chamber, and choral concerts, she runs a successful teaching studio.

  Ingrid has many exciting, creative ideas and the choir has a bright future under her leadership.

  Ingrid was Festival Singer’s Accompanist from the start of 2018 to mid-2019.

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  Singalong Messiah

  

  Festival Singers (director Jonathan Berkahn)
  Northern Chorale (director Monika Smith)

  

  Tawa Orchestra — conductor Thomas Nikora

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  With soloists:

  Shayna Tweed Soprano	Linden Loader Alto
  Declan Cudd Tenor	William King Bass

  7 pm Sunday 2 December 2018

  Wesley Methodist Church,
  75 Taranaki Street, Wellington

  The audience sang these choruses with us

  4 — And the glory of the Lord

  19 — O thou that tellest

  12 — For unto us a child is born

  17 — Glory to God in the highest

  23 — Behold the Lamb of God

  24 — Surely he hath borne our griefs

  25 — And with his stripes

  26 — All we like sheep

  28 — He trusted in God

  33 — Lift up your heads – second part

  44 — Hallelujah!

  46 — Since by man came death

  53 — Worthy is the Lamb – Amen

  Click here to download the
  PDF copy of the Programme booklet for this concert

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  SingFest 2018

  Festival Singers was one of 8 community choirs who gathered
  on Saturday 7 April 2018 St Peter’s Church, Ruahine Street, Palmerston North, for SingFest 2018
  ***Special thanks to Kate Love Photographer for the photos***

  
  Ingrid’s dynamic conducting set us off at a fast pace, singing Awake the Harp – from Haydn’s Creation

  Jonathan leading us.

  
  The Festival Singers pews

  Singing Shenandoah

  Singing Shenandoah

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  2017 Christmas Concert

  

  Come Celebrate Christmas
  

  Music included:
  Mozart’s charming Pastoral Mass in G major, K. 140, and works by J S Bach, William Billings, J Barnby, Edward Elgar, Jonathan Berkhan and Zoltan Kodaly.

  Directed by Jonathan Berkahn

  7-00pm Sunday 10 December 2017
  St Barnabas Anglican Church
  35 Box Hill, Khandallah

  Featured:
  Thomas Nikora ~ accompanist
  The Festival Players
  & special guests
  The Northern Chorale.

   A koha for Downtown Community Ministry was collected
  

  Click here to download a PDF of the programme booklet for the concert.

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  NZ Choral Federation workshop

  On 5 & 6 May 2017 several Festival Singers members took part in the NZ Choral Federation’s workshop learning and then performing Donizetti’s Mass in G Minor.

  Wonderfully led by conductor David Squire and accompanied by our own Jonathan Berkahn. Thomas Nikora also helped out leading sectionals.

  Below are quick snaps of the basses, tenors and sopranos (top) and altos (bottom)

  

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