Choir marks 150 years of Palmy

Palmerston North Choral Society director Alison Stewart wanted to assemble a performance to celebrate 150 years of Palmerston North, with as much local content as possible. But she thought, “how does the choral society cover 150 years with local material?”.

Then Stewart remembered a 2018 performance by Palmerston North’s Warren and Virginia Warbrick at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. So the die was cast.

Warren and Virginia, who perform as Toi Warbrick, would cover the foundation of our lands and the early years with contemporary art music from Kono: Song Cycle of a New Town. The choral society would couple that with locally inspired choral music, exploring Palmerston North and its dynamic heritage up to the present.

Kono is a pick-a-path historical and interactive story told through voice, song and Ma¯ ori musical instruments.

It begins with the mighty treespirit, Okatia, creating the gorge, and Haunui-a-nania naming the Manawatu¯ Awa (river), through to notable Rangita¯ ne whakatauk¯ı (proverbs) and ballads.

Two composers feature — Manaaki Tibble from Palmerston North and Pepe Becker from Wellington.

The choral society will then move into the 19th century and beyond, accompanied by Guy Donaldson, piano, with Lindsay Yeo, baritone. Yeo was on stage this year as Billy Flynn in Act Three Productions’ Chicago.

The centrepiece is Songs of Home, a five-part work by local composer Graham Parsons — commissioned for the choral society’s centenary in 2019.

The choir will also perform songs from composers Helen Caskie and David Hamilton.