Choral anthemstyle works feature
DUNEDIN is wellendowed with choral groups of various sizes and diverse repertoires.
The RSA Choir (director Karen Knudsen), one of the larger allmale choirs, besides performing regularly at Anzac events also presents concerts during the year, when its choral scholars and local entertainers are invited to perform in the town hall. This choir celebrates its 100th birthday early next year.
At yesterday afternoon’s concert, the choir performed several strong choral anthemstyled works — The Mansions of the Lord, Prayer of Thanksgiving and Hymn Before Action from The Armed Man (Jenkins) with guest soloist James Adams. Adams also joined in All My Trials and presented solos, including a Puccini operatic aria and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables,
highlighting great passion and a vocal talent spanning all genres.
Choir scholar Lillian Gibbs (18) contributed three solos, all beautifully presented with a resonance which carried well, showing sincerity in expression of text, particularly in Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier. Both Gibbs and Adams also joined in choir numbers — a Perry Como medley and Canan Lan. Gibbs also added strong solo highlights to Fields of Gold.
The Outcasts (a group of six from the choir) opened the second half of the programme, accompanied by Alison Paterson. All I can say is that they obviously enjoy singing and entertaining. The absolute highlight (for me) of the concert, was guest pianist 19yearold Abhinath Berry, firstyear piano performance at Otago University, exhibiting incredible technical virtuosity in his chosen pieces — particularly in conquering Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No 12.
David Burchell and Johnny Mottershead accompanied, with percussion from Robert Craigie, and guitarist Jesse Hanan joined the choir and bass soloist Saimone Kolo’ofai’i in Blue Smoke. Alasdair Morrison compered.