City of Dunedin Choir

The **City of Dunedin Choir** a community choir in a city called Dunedin which is in the South Island of New Zealand. It has people from all age groups: some are old, some are young. They are all from the Dunedin area. The choir sings large classical choral pieces of music. The choir has about 140 members at the moment.

The choir sings many types of music, including music from these periods: Baroque, Classical and Romantic  orchestral works, and also modern New Zealand choral music. The Choir usually sings in about four or five concerts a year, often performing with an orchestra called Southern Sinfonia. Choir practice is held every week  in the Crypt of St Paul's Cathedral on the Octagon in the middle of Dunedin.

## Recent Performances

The music in the City of Dunedin Choir's recent concerts include:

Schubert: Mass in A Flat;
Orff: Carmina Burmana;
Elgar: Dream of Gerontius;
Bach: A Christmas Oratorio;
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music;
Handel: The King Shall Rejoice;
Purcell: Come ye Sons of Art;
Mendelssohn: As the Hart Pants;
Handel: My Heart is Inditing;
Haydn: Nelson Mass;
Handel: Messiah;
Bach: St. John Passion;
Faure: Cantique de Jean Racine;
Faure: Requiem and
Alexander Estrange: Zimbe!

## Upcoming Concerts

Upcoming City of Dunedin Choir Concerts include a performance of 'Saint Nicolas' by Benjamin Britten.

## History

The City of Dunedin Choir has been making audiences enjoy themselves around the region for nearly 150 years. The  choir used to be two choirs, the Musical Union and the Choral Society, which were both made in 1863 and they joined together the following year with George West as conductor.

The name of the choir became Dunedin Choral Society Incorporated  a few years later. The society stopped existing in 1888 but started existing with the same name as before in 1897 with James Coombs as conductor. It changed its name to Schola Cantorum in 1967, after joining together with the University Union Choir, and then it changed its name to City of Dunedin Choir in 1993, the year it had existed for 130 years. However, through all these "trading name" changes, the official name remains Dunedin Choral Society Incorporated.

**Vice-Regal Patronage**

The Choir's immediate past Patron was the Hon. Dame Silvia Cartwright. The choir's archives, which are at the Hocken Library, say that, Mr H.S. Chapman, Supreme Court Judge, was Patron in 1878 and Governor, the Earl of Ranfurly, was Patron in 1898. They also say that Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor from 1879 to 1880, attended several concerts during his time as Governor, but he was not a patron.

## References

The archives of the City of Dunedin Choir are in the Hocken Library, Anzac Avenue, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Dunedin Choral Society Incorporated Rules, 1994/96/2001.
- Campbell, Margaret. _Music in Dunedin_. Dunedin: Charles Begg and Co., 1945.

The Choir has recently been listed on SOUNZ (http://sounz.org.nz), a submission process which includes details of the Choir's performances of works by New Zealand composers. Only 13 other choirs are listed on SOunz

## Other websites

- Official website
- Performer of New Zealand music, article on SOUNZ
- Southern Sinfonia, performance partner to City of Dunedin Choir