Sing Aotearoa Choral Festival

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 508, 19 October 1993, Page 6

Sing Aotearoa Choral Festival

Local residents and visitors are invited to join in a number of free events associated with the Sing Aotearoa Festival experience this Labour weekend. The principal venue for the Festival is Ruapehu College. Street Parade - leaving from the 'Giant Carrot' at 9am and making its way through the township to Maungarongo Marae for the festival's official opening. Exhibition of small items of exquisite craft - drawn from all over the country. On display in Ruapehu College Library throughout the festival. Items will be for sale. Ecumenical service - in the college gym on United Nations Day, (Sunday 24 October), featuring a setting of the Beatitudes especially written for and sung by Te Reo Ngawari Maori choir from Auckland. The address will be given by well-known conservationist Professor John Morton. The service begins at 10.45am. Sing on Mt Ruapehu - to be held between noon and 1.30pm on Sunday 24 October at the top of the Mountain Road (weather permitting). Sing Aotearoa Festival concert The premiere performance of He Iwi kotahi Tatou (We are One People ) by Jenny McLeod for Maori, chamber and massed choirs will be held on Sunday 24 October at 7.30pm at the Ruapehu College, Gymnasium. Door saies $10 adults $5 children. There will also

be performances by: • The OK Chorale - a 10 member group from Palmerston North Boys High School specialising in close harmony a cappella works. Award winners at this year's National Finale of the Smoke-free Secondary Schools Choral Festivals. • Nga Mahi a Rehia - members of this young group come from many paris of New Zealand to take the Performing Arts in Education course at Bay of Plenty polytechnic. They have given concerts in Bay of Plenty, Waikato and East Coast and have recently returned from a successful visit to Japan under the 'sister city ' scheme. • Te Ropu Waiata Maori o Whanganui - originated after a visit from National Director Rim D Paul, in 1990, to address the need for a National 'Maori Choir', drawing its membership principally from already established Whanganui Choirs. They have taken part in numerous concerts, outings, church services, television, Praise Be (June 1993) and supportive gatherings and school functions. • New Zealand Singers - a nucleus of this chamber choir which is being specially formed by the New Zealand Choral Federation to sing at the 1994 International Festival of the Arts in Wellington, has come together to Sing Aotearoa, to provide the chamber choir in He Iwi Kotahi Tatou - We are One People and to gain experience together in preliminary rehearsals under the direction of Professor Peter Godfrey.