2004 NZ Festival of Male Voice Choirs
“VIVA VOICES”

Index:

• Festival Introduction

• Guest Conductor

• Guest Artists

• Participating Choirs

• Festival Information

• Links

Brian Law, Music Director of the Christchurch City Choir, will conduct the massed choir.   Brian has conducted many opera seasons for Canterbury Opera and regularly conducts the Christchurch Symphony and other Regional Orchestras around the country.

Born and educated in London Brian emigrated to Canada in 1965 to become Organist and Choirmaster of St. Matthew’s Church in Ottawa.   He subsequently was Music Director of The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Ottawa Choral Society and founding director of the baroque orchestra - Thirteen Strings.   He has conducted all the major Canadian orchestras as well as working widely in the field of opera and ballet.   After a quarter century in Ottawa Canada, Brian emigrated to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1991.

Since arriving in Christchurch to become Music Director of the City Choir, Brian has fulfilled a similar role in New Zealand.   He has conducted many opera seasons for Canterbury Opera and regularly conducts the Christchurch Symphony and other Regional Orchestras around the country.   He made his debut with the NZSO in 1992 and most recently conducted them and the City Choir in a gala performance of the Verdi Requiem to open the 2003 Christchurch Arts Festival.

Dame Malvina Major was born in New Zealand.   After winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest and the Melbourne Sun Aria, she went to London to study at the London Opera Centre.   Dame Malvina’s International opera career has included twenty-eight major roles.   She has extensive concert, oratorio and recital repertoires. International recognition came very quickly.   Career highlights include performing for the King and Queen of Belgium, in Jordan for the Queen Noor Festival, in Japan where she met the Empress of Japan, and at New Zealand Embassy concerts in Washington, Paris, London, The Hague and Brussels.   Recent International Concert performances have taken Dame Malvina to Cairo where she performed under the pyramids, and to London, Holland, America, Australia and Japan.

John Rosser a professional conductor and singer graduated from the University of Auckland with MA (Double Hons) in Classics and gaining an LTCL in performance singing. John trained as a choral conductor under Professor Peter Godfrey. A founder member of both the National Youth Choir and the New Zealand Singers, he founded in 1985 the innovative and highly successful a cappella chamber choir Viva Voce, which he still directs.

John is regularly engaged for choral and vocal courses, workshops and adjudication throughout New Zealand and is an honorary advisor to the New Zealand Choral Federation. He is also recognised for his work with larger forces, having conducted groups for the Harry Secombe, Michael Crawford and Russell Watson concert tours, an All Blacks-France test match and the ARC Christmas Carol Spectaculars, as well as directing the Rotorua Lakeside Choir for three years. He prepared a 350-strong choir for Auckland’s millennial celebration This Is It! and has conducted the massed voices at Skycity Starlight Symphony since its inception.

New Zealand Choirs

• Cantamus Men’s Choir
• Christchurch Liedertafel Choir
• North Shore Male Voice Choir
• Taranaki Male Choir
• Waitakere City Men’s Choir
• Wanganui Male Choir
• Wellington Male Voice Choir
• The National Male Choir of New Zealand

International Choirs

• Liedertafel Arion German Male Voice Choir, Victoria, Australia
• Rowland Gregory Orpheus Singers, New South Wales, Australia