YOUTH CHOIR CROSSES CANADA TO ATTEND INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL

30th June 2007- The New Zealand Youth Choir has completed the first leg of its international tour and, today, will arrive in Newfoundland.

The 50-voice ensemble has spent the past two days in Toronto, and gave short performances in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation atrium and at Niagara Falls.

Aside from singing, many members of the choir rode the Maid of the Mist boat to the foot of the falls yesterday. Resplendent in his blue plastic poncho, Invercargill bass Michael Forde said he enjoyed the opportunity.

"It was just a really unique experience to see something so natural, underneath the mist."

Despite the enjoyment the choir has had in Toronto, the success of last week's farewell concert in Auckland is still resonating in the minds of the cingers. For Michael, the most remarkable part of the concert was the choir's stirring encore performance of 'I Te Timatanga'.

"There was a really good atmosphere - most of us were buzzing from the reception from the crowd."

Auckland alto Jess Lightfoot said she was "really happy (Holy Trinity Cathedral) was totally packed with people - and that the choir did so well.

Jess enjoyed the warm Toronto weather - and the shopping facilities - but is excited about the music making to come in Newfoundland.

"I think it'll be really good to get to St Johns and do some singing with lots of the other choirs at Festival 500 - I'm looking forward to that."

The choir will arrive in Newfoundland at lunchtime today, ahead of the Festival 500 opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The Youth Choir will take part in Festival workshops before its first performance in Tuesday's World of Music concert, and Thursday's Youth Choir concert.

YOUTH CHOIR LEAVE NEWFOUNDLAND IN PREPARATION FOR WELSH COMPETITIONS

by Tim Graham.

9th July 2007 - NZYC will spend Tuesday putting the final touches to its competition programmes in Wales this week, after a successful time in Newfoundland.

The choir ended a busy week at Newfoundland's Festival 500 yesterday, singing a morning service at St Thomas' Church in St John's and, later, presenting a massed performance of Dvorák's "Te Deum" in the Festival finale concert.

The accuracy of the choir's classical repertoire, positioned alongside full-blooded waiata, generated excitement with Festival 500 audiences and international dignitaries alike. Brazilian conductor Celso Antunes praised the choir's mastery of the dark, Hungarian dialect in Kodály's "Jezus es a kufarok".

The choir was also excited - and somewhat relieved - to receive similar accolades from native Russian speaker Zimfira Poloz, after Thursday's performance of "Ot sche nash" - Alfred Schnittke's setting of the Lord's Prayer.

Palmerston North bass Simon Kersten said he had "enjoyed being involved in the different workshops (at Festival 500), and working in a non-competitive choral environment". The 19-year old is ready to hit Wales, and for the other trappings of touring. "I'm really looking forward to the competition and being billeted there and also to our London concert with Jonathan Lemalu and sightseeing in Barcelona".

Taupo alto Chelsea Dolman said performing in different venues throughout the week in St John's had prepared the choir for its next challenge. "It will help us in competition settings- there are acoustics coming up that we'll be really unfamiliar with."

Chelsea is excited about the opportunity for analytical ears to hear the choir, too. "We are at a stage where we are singing really well, but I'm looking forward to a different sort of audience. I think that's what we need to make us work even harder."

The choir will spend Wednesday travelling by coach to Llangollen, before the opening ceremony of the International Musical Eisteddfod that evening. The choir's concert this Friday night with New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra has already sold out. A large number of those in the audience for the Eisteddfod concerts will be friends and families of the singers and ex-members keen to hear the current choir.

The New Zealand Youth Choir in action at Festival 500 in St John's, Newfoundland: Photo by Brooke Baker

YOUTH CHOIR GETS PODIUM PLACINGS AT LLANGOLLEN EISTEDDFOD

by Tim Graham

15th July 2007 - The New Zealand Youth Choir has won placings in two categories at this year's International Musical Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales.

The choir took third placing in two highly competitive sections - against Youth choirs on Thursday and Mixed choirs on Friday. Both categories featured music to showcase the choir's skill, from the shimmering splendour of Kodaly's "Jesus es a Kufarok" to the driving energy of Hrusovsky's "Rytmus" and the Maori repertoire gifted to the choir by the Wehi whanau.

NZYC General Manager Jenny Jamieson said the competition was very close, particularly in the mixed choir section, and the third placings were an achievement to be proud of. "The singers are great cultural ambassadors for the country and they sang their very best. I think our sound is something fresh, and overseas audiences have - again - really appreciated our kapa haka."

The choir was also lucky to be invited to perform with New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra on Friday evening, in a sold-out concert in front of 4000 people. Together, the New Zealanders finished the concert with a rendition of Hine E Hine, as rain pelted the Eisteddfod tent outside. Aside from the music, the evening was also a reunion of sorts for Hayley and ex-students of Christchurch's Burnside High School who now sing in the choir.

From here, the choir's collective focus shifts to another highlight of the tour - Tuesday evening's concert at St John's, Smith Square. Special guests (and ex-choir members) Jonathan Lemalu and Madeleine Pierard will perform, and the New Zealand High Commissioner, The Right Honourable Jonathan Hunt, will attend and speak at a reception following the concert. Early the next morning, the choir will board a flight out of Heathrow, en route to Barcelona, Spain, and further competition in Cantonigros.

Members of the New Zealand Youth Choir in Llangollen - (left to right) Gabrielle Mutu-Grigg, Hamish Elliott, Vanessa Kay, David Tipi.

YOUTH CHOIR TAKES FIRST AND SECOND PLACINGS IN SPAIN By Tim Graham

23 July 2007 - The New Zealand Youth Choir has ended its international tour with resounding successes at competitions in Spain.

The choir was a crowd favourite at the 25th Festival Internacional de Música in Cantonigros, held two hours outside of Barcelona - coming away with first prize in the Mixed Choir section, and second prize in the Folk section.

Photo: The New Zealand Youth Choir's trophy for winning the Mixed Choirs section at the Festival Internacional de Música de Cantonigròs, as held by the artistic team, James Tibbles and Karen Grylls.

The repertoire for Friday's Mixed Choir competition consisted of one compulsory work - 'So Nun Der Geist' by J. S. Bach - alongside David Childs' 'O Nata Lux' and Mendelssohn's 'Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe'. TNZYC scored a total of 126 marks, almost 5 points ahead of the second placed choir.

On Saturday, the choir was up against countries as diverse as Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Slovakia and Hungary in the competitive Folk music competition. The New Zealanders placed second out of 23 choirs with Te Iwi, Te Wehi, Te Wairua and the visually stunning I Te Timatanga. Later that evening, the choir was excited was excited to learn it had won second place - .3 marks behind the winning choir from Puerto Rico- in this section.

17-year-old Jeffrey Chang, who joined the choir just before the tour began, said he enjoyed visiting Spain and hadn't expected success there. "I was really surprised to win, but I think we deserved it. In Spain I felt as if I was contributing to the music and the choir."

Auckland soprano Rachel Alexander was similarly excited with the choir's good fortune. "I don't think we were expecting the win. Having everything come together and being rewarded for it is quite a surprise at the end of a really long tour - it's a really great way to end things."

Christchurch bass Benjamin Caukwell said the rush of performing high-intensity works in competition was a bittersweet way to end the tour. "We really got into it each time we were on stage, and knowing it was the last time we were going to perform together we really gave it everything. "

The choir has now dispersed, with some members staying on to holiday in Spain and throughout Europe, and others making the long trip home to New Zealand to return to study and work.

Photo: On stage in Cantonigros..

To view the results on the Catonigros website click here.