REVIEWS

TAONGA MOANA – A LOVE LETTER TO THE OCEAN

A review of our Napier show from the Hook NZ

Standing on Marine Parade before this concert, a calm green/blue sea, gulls and a dark-lined horizon, I wondered how on earth a wholeness could be created out of the great risotto of influences identified in the programme notes. From sea serpents, whales, Mother Theresa, Māori, Finnish, Indonesian cultures, waka made of human bones, and so much more. […]

READ MORE

Classical review: Heartwarming treat for a bleak winter day

Review of 'Follow the Star' in Dunedin, from the Otago Daily Times

ST Paul’s Cathedral was the venue for Voices New Zealand’s midwinter Yulefest recital entitled ‘‘Follow the Star’’.

We hear so much about the country’s top sports teams, but I was delighted to review Saturday’s Dunedin performance by one of New Zealand’s international award winning choirs.

READ MORE

Classical Review: A new ANZAC symphonic work revealing the tragedy of the survivors

NBR Weekend Review, By John Daly-Peoples

Last week the Auckland Philharmonia premiered FACE, a new work commissioned from Ross Harris. The piece was inspired by the story of Sir Harold Gillies, the New Zealander who became the father of plastic surgery and who, along with several other New Zealand surgeons treated the disfiguring facial injuries sustained by soldiers during World War I.

READ MORE

Classical review: Enigma concert fills the house

Reviewer: William Dart, NZ Herald

The APO and VOICES NZ perform NZ composer Ross Harris’s new work, Face.

“One sensed justifiable pride when Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra CEO Barbara Glaser announced the Enigma concert had drawn a full house and, best of all, the programme included a major commission, shared with the BBC, ” writes William Dart.

READ MORE

The King’s Singers rule supreme

VOICES NZ & The King's Singers in concert

“The King’s Singers sextet were good-humoured, supremely talented, effortlessly accomplished, confident and gracious. Voices New Zealand was impeccably supportive, balancing the sextet and reinforcing the climax of the chosen works. The two groups were complementary, symphonious – superb.

It was a refined, inspiring, entertaining evening – a precise, crystalline, perfect concert.”- Stephen Gibbs

READ MORE

5/5 ‘a rich and reverberant mix, immaculately balanced and paced’

NZ Herald’s William Dart reviews the latest VOICES CD, ‘Requiem for the fallen’

READ MORE

A commission to be thoroughly proud of – The Unusual Silence

The commissioning of challenging new work is essential in a genre that can at times feel safely, beautifully two-dimensional, and The Unusual Silence is a commission Grylls and Voices New Zealand can be thoroughly proud of.  

READ MORE

NZ Herald review: The Unusual Silence concert

Voices NZ Chamber Choir led by the world-renowned conductor Karen Grylls

The Unusual Silence, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir’s WWI commemoration, was a powerful and reverberant experience in the marble halls of Auckland Museum.

READ MORE

Baroque Voices Concert

Reviewed by William Dart

….the 24 singers of Voices NZ Chamber Choir displaying the vocal heft of three times that number….

READ MORE

A dramatic staging of PASSIO

Audiences were treated to an epic staging of Jack Body’s PASSIO on Sunday as part of the 2017 Auckland Arts Festival.

READ MORE

Middle C – Sounds and Sweet Airs: Songs of Shakespeare Review

"The entire performance was characterised by captivating finesse, and did honour to Shakespeare."

Festival presents Shakespeare songs from two choirs in admirable literary and musical contexts.

READ MORE

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Voices New Zealand, Terence Dennis (pianist) and conductor Karen Grylls

"...a splendid recognition of one of New Zealand’s true international celebrities."

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performs with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir at the Michael Fowler Centre, March 13 2016, reviewed by Lindis Taylor of Middle C.

READ MORE

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano) with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir directed by Karen Grylls and Terence Dennis (piano)

Reviewed by John Button, Dominion Post

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performs with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir at the Michael Fowler Centre, March 13 2016, reviewed by John Button of the Dominion Post.

READ MORE

NZ Herald CD Review

"The country's premier chamber choir maps out an unforgettable journey." ***** William Dart, NZ Herald

Conductor Karen Grylls explains the disc’s title, Voice of the Soul, as “a metaphor for a journey of traditions, story telling and passionate music of the senses”.

READ MORE

Peter Hoar: APO Child of Our Time review

Peter reviews the Auckland Festival production of Tippet’s Child of Our Time performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Voices NZ and the NZ Youth Choir.

READ MORE

Auckland Arts Festival review: A Child of our time, Auckland Town Hall

In festival’s homegrown highlight, orchestra and voices give rich offering of oratorio’s message of peace.

READ MORE

Choristers revel in celebration of light

In a nutshell, as the Festival brochure put it, Ata Reira promised an evening of award-winning choirs, majestic voices and Te Reo Maori in song. Both separately and together, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir and the New Zealand Youth Choir delivered all this in a choral celebration of light … and much more.

READ MORE

Voice of the Soul

Voices 16, from the Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, show a tremendous versatility in a varied yet totally cohesive concert for Atoll Records that creates some especially fine atmospheric moments

READ MORE

Voice of the Soul

“..a fascinating and lovingly prepared programme which made a strong and delightful impression..”

READ MORE

Voices NZ Melbourne Concert Review

The audience in St Paul’s Cathedral was treated to a wonderful night of choral music inspired by the idea of the Magnificat.

READ MORE

‘Requiem for the Fallen’ Review

“This was indeed a never-to-be-forgotten experience for all who attended” – Otago Daily Times.

READ MORE

Requiem for the Fallen: Review

“Stunningly impressive and emotionally draining” – Brenda Harwood

READ MORE

VOICES at NZ Arts Festival, NZ Herald Review

"Voices NZ and Grylls are a potent team.."

There was an air of ritual about Requiem for the Fallen, the major music commission of the New Zealand Arts Festival.

READ MORE

Classical review: Magic Midwinter Yulefest With Voices New Zealand

Review of 'Follow the Star' in Auckland, by Clare Martin from Radio13

There was magic spun from Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir led by distinguished conductor Karen Grylls in their concert at St Matthew-in-the-City in Auckland, NZ last night. A midwinter Yulefest celebrating Christmas with music from both northern and southern hemispheres including a significant number of NZ composers. The theme for the selection was Follow the Star, the North Star leading the Wise Men to the nativity and the stars of our very own star cluster Matariki.

READ MORE