2026 CONCERT SERIES
REIMAGININGS
Sunday, 2 August at 4pm
St Matthew-in-the-City, 132 Hobson Street, Auckland
Ever wondered what happens when brilliant composers reinvent absolute perfection? Our upcoming concert 'Reimaginings' explores exactly that: stunning 'choral transmogrifications' that cast classic works in an entirely new light.
It all began when our conductor John Rosser first heard Roderick Williams' Ave verum corpus Re-imagined (after Byrd) and understood – despite some initial scepticism – how thrilling such a remake could be. That spark led him to Owain Park's Miserere after Allegri, an astonishing take on the Sistine Chapel masterpiece that, in a true feat of reimagination, weaves a saxophone quartet into the choral texture.
We then commissioned two of NZ's finest composers to write their own rehashes. David Hamilton delivers a radiant new version of Victoria's O magnum mysterium, while Anthony Ritchie offers a hilariously clever reworking of Schumann's 'Fröhlicher Landmann', set to the topical poem OK Boomer. Our own Mark Rosser bathes the radiant Ain'-a that good news! in a veritable sea of other spiritual tunes.
To top it off, we will reprise our 2023 performance of Paul Drayton's spectacular choral setting of Vaughan Williams' pastoral masterwork The Lark Ascending, with the virtuosic Yanghe Yu playing the iconic violin solo.
Join us on Sunday 2 August at 4pm in St Matthew-in-the-City for a concert of reimaginative choral treasures. Do stay afterwards for a chat over a (free) cuppa and early supper!
FASCINATING RHYTHM
Early November Details TBC
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We are VIVA VOCE
Founded in 1985, VIVA VOCE is an auditioned chamber choir that specialises in the innovative programming and attractive presentation of a huge variety of music, striving always for both excellence and entertainment. The choir has now given over 400 concerts throughout New Zealand and in 2018 was invited to sing in the China International Chorus Festival in Beijing. Viva Voce is often broadcast on Radio New Zealand and is regularly engaged for choral-orchestral collaborations, while its own semi-staged productions of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Carissimi’s Jephte, Handel’s Solomon and Messiah and Talbot’s Path of Miracles have received critical acclaim.
JOHN ROSSER is the choir’s founder and Musical Director. He was also New Zealand Opera Chorus Master for 23 years and is Immediate Past Chair of the New Zealand Choral Federation, of which he was made a life member in 2018. National Director of both The Big Sing and Sing Aotearoa, John led the NZCF Anthems Project for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He was Artistic Director of the World Symposium on Choral Music 2020 and will head up New Zealand’s hosting of the 2024 World Choir Games in Auckland.
