KowhaiSingers

Happy New Year

to all our singers and supporters

Amy has prepared an exciting program of mostly new work

and we start rehearsals on 15 February

in the Methodist Church Hall

at 7.15 pm

Christmas Concert

2020

After a year of stop/start rehearsing and concert cancellations it was a real joy for our singers to be able finally to present a concert of good choral music to the wider Warkworth public.

And from the large size of the audience it seems our stalwart supporters had been feeling just as deprived as we were.

The concert - with a mix of beautiful songs, audience participation in the carols and an exciting performance by brilliant young violinist Marika Balzat accompanied by our conductor Amy - was very well received. Despite a quite short rehearsal period we all felt we had produced a choral sound of high standard and the enthusiastic comments from the audience have confirmed this.

We are looking forward to starting rehearsals in mid February for a concert of all new music to be presented sometime in May.

RECENT CONCERT

Nov 2019

This was a lovely concert, well patronised at two performances, including one in the Leigh Hall for the first time ever at that venue. The following night we presented the same program at Warkworth Town Hall with to a similarly enthusiastic reception.

We presented a variety of songs from 16th Century classical (Tallis) to modern American (Whitacre) - the latter being a recent and highly original musical realisation of the favorite children's story book from the 1940s, Goodnight Moon.

The second half of the concert included more up-beat pieces and featured Barbara Hamilton accompanying the choir on double bass.

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Who are the Kowhai Singers?

Kowhai Singers is a community choir based in Warkworth, a thriving rural town about 70km north of Auckland City. With a strength of about 40 men and women the choir draws its members from the town and surrounding districts.

We normally present two or three full program concerts each year often with the support of soloists and instrumental musicians from outside of the choir.

A wide variety of music is performed from Renaissance madrigals to recent New Zealand choral compositions. The list includes Baroque masses, classical art songs, songs from the American Songbook and works from the modern English choral tradition. There is often a sprinkling of songs in lighter vein. The style of concert presented can best be obtained from perusing the selection of past concert programs that can be viewed at Gallery. See what we've been doing lately on the News page.

The choir enjoys the support of a loyal following from the wider community who have come to expect an evening (or occasionally a winter's afternoon) performance of fine music, thoroughly rehearsed and presented to a very high standard.

Kowhai Singers welcomes new members. If you want to sing with a group of friendly, enthusiastic music makers from all walks of life please contact us and come along to the next rehearsal or attend our next concert.

Recent Concerts

This was a highly successful concert enjoyed by an audience of almost 200 people in the charmingly re-furbished Warkworth Town Hall. It was enjoyed immensely, too, by the singers who have responded very positively to the direction of Amy Cottingham conducting the choir for the first time.

The choir, larger than it has been for some years, was in very good voice and fortunate to be supported by their excellent accompanist Susan Elliott on the Town Hall's Yamaha concert grand piano.

The programme was a collection of songs, many in classical style - some very old, some contemporary - and several in lighter vein. Two interludes featured the young guest violinist Marika Balzat accompanied by Amy on the piano. They played a movement from a Mozart violin sonata and thrilled the audience with the mounting intensity of two Tangos by Astor Piazzolla.

A copy of the full program can be viewed by clicking here.

The presentation of Handel's oratorio Messiah in the newly renovated Warkworth Town Hall was a triumph!

Over two afternoon performances on 13, 14 May 2017, both booked to absolute capacity, more than 500 patrons thrilled to the voices of four top class soloists and two choirs - Kowhai Singers and Matakantata - in their best form ever. Supporting the singers was an instrumental ensemble of 10 players and organist.

Conductor Peter Cammell accepted a standing ovation at the end of both performances on behalf of all taking part.

Please go to the Gallery page to see a video of some of the Hallelujah Chorus recorded at the Saturday performance.

This was a triumph, enjoyed by large audiences at both venues.