Latest Choral Festival Updates
6 day Itinerary for 2012 Singdownunder Festival Visit
Day 1 Tuesday June 26 Arrival afternoon Day 2 Wednesday After a breakfast in the hotel transfer to Aorere College for Maori Choral Workshop. Program includes Maori welcome, Powhiri with speech and song from hosts and guests learning a Maori choreographed action song taught in sections by sections of the host choir, Sweet Sixteen welcome to the Maori Department of the school sharing a Maori “Hangi”... [Read more]
“In the Jungle”, “Shosholoza”, from the Front Row Choir
The Front Row Choir (TTBB) seemed to have developed this track by putting together two songs of South African origin. “In the Jungle” started its life as “Mbube” first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda and his group the Evening Birds. [Read more] Read More →
Christchurch Earthquake commemorative ceremony
New Zealand went silent for two minutes at 12.51pm local time, a week since the devastating earthquake. People gathered in solemn ceremony to mourn the tragedy. In central Christchurch, now our “ground zero”, Maori mourners sang “Whakaaria Mai”, our English and Maori version of the Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art” . [Read more] Read More →
SingDownunder and the Christchurch Earthquake
At 1pm (NZT) on Tuesday February 22nd Christchurch city centre was partially destroyed by a shallow earthquake almost directly underneath it. There is substantial loss of life and many major and historic buildings in the centre of town are partly or wholly destroyed. The destruction includes two of the beautiful choral venues, the Anglican Cathedral in Cathedral Square and the Catholic Cathedral... [Read more]
Pokarekareana, from “The Front Row Choir”
Pokarekareana is a Maori love song. It is anthemic in New Zealand and widely know internationally thanks to Dame Kiri te Kanawa, and Hayley Westenra. It is claimed by different regional Maori groups by inclusion of their local placenames. In this unusual presentation the Front Row Choir sings both in Maori and in English. The Front Row Choir is a boys choir, from prominent choral school Aorere... [Read more]