Artistic Director - Dr Karen Grylls
PhD, MM (Choral Conducting), MMus Hons, LRSM, LTCL,
Dip Teaching
Dr Karen Grylls ONZM, Associate Head of Undergraduate Studies, Associate Professor in Conducting and Head of Choral Studies at the University of Auckland, was appointed Musical Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir in 1989. She founded Voices New Zealand in March 1998, and is now Artistic Director of both these national choirs.
A graduate of both Otago and Auckland Universities, Karen studied post-graduate Conducting and Music Theory at the University of Washington, Seattle, where she studied for four years. In 1985 she returned to NZ to teach at the University of Auckland and take up the directorship of the Auckland Dorian Choir.
As a result of her musical directorship, the New Zealand Youth Choir has enjoyed notable international successes including: the Silver Rosebowl in the “Let the Peoples Sing” radio competition in 1992, “Choir of the World” at the 1999 International Eisteddfod in Llangollen and the “Grand Prix Slovakia” also in 1999.
With equal success Voices New Zealand won first and second placings in the mixed choir section of the Tolosa International Choral Competition in October 1998. With these choirs, she has participated and won further prizes and accolades in Gorizia 2004, Marktoberdorf 2005, and Cantonigros, Spain in 2007.
Karen is in much demand as a choral clinician and has many CD recordings to her credit. Invitations to adjudicate have taken her to Australia, Singapore, Tolosa and Hong Kong. In 1996 the university honoured her with a Distinguished Teaching Award in Music and in 1999 she received a New Year’s Honour, ONZM, for her services to choral music.
In May 2005 she was awarded an Artistic Leadership Scholarship Award 2005 from Creative NZ to attend the Seventh World Choral Symposium in Kyoto.
Most recently she was awarded the KBB Citation from the Composers’ Association of New Zealand and the Lilburn Trust Citation for services to New Zealand music.
