New artistic staff for national choirs

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For immediate release

7 December 2016

New artistic staff for national choirs

Dr Karen Grylls has been re-appointed as Artistic Director for Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir (VOICES) and The New Zealand Youth Choir (NZYC) while newcomer and Wellingtonian Michael Stewart was appointed as NZYC’s new Deputy Music Director.

Karen has been with Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand (CANZ), the organisation managing these choirs, since 1989 when taking over as Music Director of NZYC. In 1998 she founded Voices and became the overall Artistic Director in 2011.

“There is still a lot I want to achieve, especially working with VOICES,” says Karen. “We have such a high calibre of singers in this ensemble and we are ready to take things to the next level. This exciting prospect was a big incentive to renew my role with the choirs.”

“Karen is such an asset for our choirs, an inspiration to the singers and a supremely competent choir leader, even on a global scale.” says CANZ CEO Arne Herrmann, “We love her energy, her sense of adventure and desire for innovation and collaborations. We are thrilled that Karen will continue her leadership role for another three years.”

The new member to the artistic team is 38 year old Michael Stewart. He is assuming the role of Deputy Music Director, which was held last by James Tibbles, a key figure in New Zealand’s Early Music scene. By his own admission Michael started his relationship with NZYC as ‘groupie’, when his then-girlfriend-now-wife Anna Sedcole was singing in the soprano section. After a short stint in the bass section of NZYC, Michael was the recipient of a Dame Malvina Major Arts Excellence Award and moved to Canada for a Master of Music degree majoring in organ performance. Back in Wellington he became Music Director of The Tudor Consort in 2007 and Organist and Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul in 2011.

“Michael is an extraordinary find for us.“ says Arne Herrmann, “His experience working with choirs, his strong musical expertise and on top of that being such an outstanding organist and accompanist, makes Michael a wonderful addition to our artistic team, supporting our Music Director David Squire.”

“I am absolutely thrilled at being appointed to this position” ,says Michael. “I feel that my particular skill set, especially the ability to accompany and conduct, make me an ideal fit. I'm looking forward to making music with this outstanding choir, and developing my own skills through contact with the Choirs Aotearoa Artistic Team."

Both contracts will commence in January 2017 with VOICES being on stage at the Auckland Arts Festival in March and the new NZYC coming together in Wellington for a week-long course in April and concerts on the Kapiti Coast, Featherston and ANZAC commemorations in the city.

Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand receives major funding from Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Community Trust. The New Zealand Youth Choir is sponsored by Infratil.

More about Dr. Karen Grylls, ONZM

Karen Grylls founded Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir in 1998 and the choir has achieved great acclaim internationally in performance and recording. She is Associate Professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Auckland and is Artistic Director of the Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust, the managing body for the NZ Youth Choir and Voices NZ. Dr Grylls was Conductor and Artistic Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir from 1989 to 2011, and Artistic Director of Toronto’s Exultate Chamber Choir from 2011 to 2013.

A graduate of both Otago and Auckland Universities, Karen studied post-graduate Conducting and Music Theory at the University of Washington, Seattle, for four years. In 1985 she returned to NZ to teach at the University of Auckland and take up the directorship of the Auckland Dorian Choir.

As a result of her musical directorship, the New Zealand Youth Choir has enjoyed notable international successes including: the Silver Rosebowl in the “Let the Peoples Sing” radio competition in 1992, “Choir of the World” at the 1999 International Eisteddfod in Llangollen and the “Grand Prix Slovakia” also in 1999.

With equal success Voices New Zealand won first and second placings in the mixed choir section of the Tolosa International Choral Competition in October 1998. With these choirs, she has won further prizes and accolades in Gorizia 2004, and Llangollen and Cantonigros, Spain in 2007.

In 1996 Auckland University honoured her with a Distinguished Teaching Award in Music and in 1999 she became an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to choral music. She is also the recipient of the KBB Citation from the Composers’ Association of New Zealand and the Lilburn Trust Citation for services to New Zealand music. TOWER Voices CD Spirit of the Land took the 2006 Tui Award for Best Classical Album, and the CD Voice of the Soul was a finalist in the 2013 Vodafone NZ Music awards.

Karen is much in demand as an adjudicator for competitions worldwide, including the 48th International competition in Tolosa, the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition, Bavaria, and The World Choir Games in Xiamen, China. She is sought internationally as a choral clinician and regularly conducts masterclasses and workshops in Wales, England, North America, Canada and Australia.

More about Michael Stewart:

Michael Stewart is at the forefront of the younger generation of choral conductors in New Zealand, as well as being one of the country’s leading concert organists. In June 2011 he was appointed Organist and Director of Music at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul, after previously serving for five years as Director of Music of The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Michael is also the Music Director of The Tudor Consort, and a member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.

Michael was awarded a Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours from the University of Canterbury and also held the inaugural John Robert Godley Organ Scholarship at Christchurch Cathedral. He was the recipient of a Dame Malvina Major Arts Excellence Award in 2002, which enabled him to pursue further study at McGill University (Montréal, Canada). He was awarded a McGill Organ Scholarship and graduated with a Master of Music degree majoring in organ performance in 2004. During his time in Montréal, Michael held the position of Assistant Organist to The Church of St Andrew and St Paul, a flourishing downtown Presbyterian church which boasts the finest music programme in the country. He has recorded for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Radio New Zealand – Concert, and has produced two solo organ CDs: Puissant (2001) and Ave maris stella (2007).

Since becoming Music Director of The Tudor Consort in 2007, Michael has continued the standard of choral excellence which this renowned early-music ensemble is noted for. He has broadened the repertoire to include music from the early Tudor composers through to the 20th Century, and has led critically-acclaimed performances of Handel’s Messiah and J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. In 2011 Michael led The Tudor Consort in their 25th Anniversary Season, including a performance of Tallis’s Spem in Alium. Following the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch in 2012, he recorded Antoine Brumel’s Missa Et ecce terrae motus (The ‘Earthquake’ Mass) with The Tudor Consort as a fundraiser for Christchurch Cathedral’s music department.

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