We recently discovered that one of our past members is living his dream as a cast member of Hamilton on the West End, London. Naturally, we had to know more. NZ Secondary Students’ Choir Manager Anna Bowron speaks with Manaia Glassey-Ohlson.

You were in the 2009-2010 NZ Secondary Students’ Choir and now you’re singing in a massive hit show on the West End. How did this happen…What was your path from NZSSC days to the West End? 

Well what a HUGE START! As I’m thinking about how to answer this questions, I find myself being flooded with memories from my time with NZSSC. I think my love for musicals were evident from around that age as I remember connecting with quite a few members over the subject, comparing notes over lyrics and choreography from various shows. It was a relief to find like-minded people with a passion that matched mine. The shorter answer is that I studied Musical Theatre at what is now Te Auaha in Wellington. I managed to be involved in a couple of amateur productions while studying. After graduating, I was fortunate enough to land singing and musical jobs in Japan and Dubai. Very fun! I made the decision to move to the UK as the opportunity made itself available and I didn’t have much going on in NZ. It was a struggle in the OCEAN of talent to find my niche in such a demanding industry, but after some small shows both amateur and semi pro, a couple of singing gigs, I was in a place where I could feel comfortable with how I as a performer. I could bring what I had to the table instead of what I THOUGHT people wanted. I booked my first job at Hamilton West End and now I am currently in the Ensemble and understudy various roles such as Aaron Burr, George Washington, Mulligan/Madison and Lafayette/Jefferson.

What is your daily schedule working on the show?

Six days on, one day off. Tuesday-Sunday. Two shows on Thursday and Saturday. Warm up is an hour and a half before a 7.30 pm show (or 2.30 matinee) and rehearsal sprinkled in where we can, for a year contract.

What are your memories of the NZ Secondary Students’ Choir?

I’ll tell you what I don’t remember… a single note I sang! Hah! Again I’m flooded with moments that have stuck with me. I remember the ‘Banana’ warm up dance. The time Andrew (Withington) let me conduct a small part of a song and feeling the whole choir move with me. I remember all the naps on the bus in Canada. I remember making personal jokes with almost everyone. I remember the massage trains. I remember how chill Morag (Atchison) was giving us vocal advice that seemingly changed our lives as singers. I remember sitting on the swing outside St Mary’s College doubting whether I was good enough to even audition! I remember making a promise to Ben (Madden – now NZSSC Vocal Consultant) that we would do a back flip on a Broadway stage (I can’t back flip anymore but we got as close as possible to it on the West End). I remember the feeling of pride for representing my country. As I’m typing this I can’t help but get emotional. I remember the feeling of the sun on my skin as I jumped off the YATCH that one of our hosts took us out on in Vancouver (billeted during a tour to the International Choral Kathaumixw, 2010). It was such an incredible time!!!!

New Zealand Secondary Students Choir performing at Kathaumixw International Choral Competition. Manaia is front row third from right

Do you feel you learned anything in the NZSSC that you have taken into your career? 

DO THE WORK! A big part of my success and what keeps everyone happy is my work ethic. I know when it’s time to shine as an individual and when it is time to serve the piece as an ensemble. Knowing that being a puzzle piece is just as important as having the spotlight. My ear was tuned in this choir. I know how to place myself in the sound to help make the piece shine as well as it can. I credit all of this to my time in the NZSSC. I learnt that ego is important for the confidence to be part of the team, but needs to take a back seat in service to the whole. I remember Kate (Spence) talking about the ‘face’ and that one small blemish can be noticed on a fresh face. Initially I thought that it meant ‘if you sound ‘bad’ then that’s the blemish, but I eventually realised that it is more about blending the sound as well as possible. I learnt to cover my job to the best of my ability and that is enough.

Any advice for our many young singers keen to perform in stage shows? 

Morag gave me the best advice I believe. ‘Please keep singing’. There are soooo many logistical and practical pieces of advice that I could give but it all starts with the passion you have for what you do. Becoming a professional isn’t the goal. Sharing your passion is. There were times where doing it for free became the only realistic way of sharing any creativity for me and I was content with this. As long as I could keep singing. Keep learning, and exploring. Nothing is the be all and end all. Stay passionate, welcome the challenges, encourage growth and KEEP SINGING!

–

A huge thank you to Manaia for taking the time to speak with us and share his journey. To see the next generation of West End stars, make sure to check out our upcoming concerts.

Charle Rainey, in Year 13 at Nelson College, has a pretty impressive pedigree in the choral world. Many will know his father, Pete Rainey – Vice Chair of the New Zealand Choral Federation and Chair of NZCF’s Big Sing Committee. Pete was a member of the fabled 1980-82 NZ Youth Choir which toured to Europe and performed with Kiri Te Kanawa, led by Guy Jansen and Professor Peter Godfrey. Charle tells me his mother sings pretty well too!

Like his father, Charle is a musician through and through, playing three instruments – tuba, piano and trumpet. He performs with his school concert band, with the Nelson City Brass Band, a funk band, competed at the Smokefree Rockquest (regional finalist) and is part of a Chamber Music trio. Somehow he also manages to spend his school holidays with the NZSSC!

“I am finding NZSSC membership amazing. Singing in the choir has been the most incredible experience over the last two years. The amazing staff have been so incredibly kind to us and take care of us every single course. Singing in this choir has developed my vocal abilities and I have learned to become a better singer overall. I’ve made so many lifelong friends in the choir, and they also make every course a delight.”

He’s pretty happy that the NZSSC is spending the first three days of the Southern Stars tour in Nelson with a concert at the Nelson Centre for Musical Arts on Monday July 11.

“The repertoire that we sing in this choir is so diverse and fresh. It’s not that choral music you’d expect. The choir is one of the best sounding in Aotearoa, and we have so much fun performing the pieces. Anyone who sings in choirs or just for fun as a hobby should come and hear us perform in Nelson, especially schools kids as the performance could encourage them to audition for the choir. I’m really looking forward to performing in Nelson with this fantastic choir, and I really hope other young Nelsonians come to listen.”

This is Charle’s final year in the NZSSC, and he’s considering options for 2023 to study either Performance or Composition, possibly at Victoria or Otago. This might lead to teaching but he has plenty of time to decide. With what he has learned from the NZSSC, and his many other musical talents, the world is Charle’s oyster!

Keeping it in the choral family, here are some fun facts about Charle’s father Pete:

Pete Rainey MNZM is an event producer whose company Rockquest Promotions Ltd has been producing music events for over 30 years. He has extensive governance experience, currently as a fourth-term Nelson City Councillor, as well as holding board positions with local arts organisations including the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts. He was awarded the MNZM for services to music in 2013.

Pete was a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and the National Youth Orchestra and continues to be involved in music in Nelson. He currently conducts Chroma Chamber Choir and is a past conductor of the Nelson Civic Choir. Pete is the founding Musical Director of the National Male Choir, continues to play viola and violin, and has also been the artistic director of Opera in the Park in Nelson since 1999.

He is The Big Sing committee Chair, and was in the NZ Youth Choir 1980-82 – part of world tour with Prof Godfrey and Guy Jansen.

The NZ Secondary Students’ Choir travels to Nelson as part of our upcoming Southern Stars tour, with a concert at the Nelson Centre for Musical Arts on Monday July 11. Tickets are available here.

Composing for a large choir and a maximum of three instruments – that’s the challenge Choirs Aotearoa NZ is issuing to some adventurous Kiwi composers.

It’s a perfect time for composers to try something new.   Concert plans are in disarray, thanks to the pandemic.  And they’re likely to continue to face disruptions for the foreseeable future.

This is New Zealand’s first national competition specifically for choral song-writing – Compose Aotearoa.

Read more on RNZ

We are head over heels with opera, wide eyed for Monteverdi and smitten for Britten. With the alert levels changing for the better, we can confirm that VOICES LOVE OPERA is coming to your stages in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington mid-October. Some of New Zealand’s best singers are debuting a new show that explores both the triumphs and the heartbreaks of love.

Read more here

A few weeks out from our brand new reimagining of early music When Light Breaks, we take a look at one person bringing the story to life. We’re excited to be working with Director Jacqueline Coats who has many feathers in her cap. She has worked as a director and an assistant director for the NZ International Festival of the Arts, NZ Opera, Victorian Opera in Melbourne, CubaDupa in Wellington and many more. She has won accolades from the NZ Fringe and the Wellington Theatre Awards, and in 2014 was ‘Director of the Year’ at the Dunedin Theatre Awards for her premiere of Anthony Richie’s This Other Eden.

Jacqueline has a passion for theatre and opera for young people. She has worked as an actor, a music director and a stage director for Capital E National Theatre for Children, most recently directing their touring production of Songs of the Sea. Jacqueline’s theatre credits include the original touring productions of Lines from the Nile and Home; a promenade production of Martin Sherman’s Bent; and co-directing two shows for Wellington Summer Shakespeare. She directed Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona for Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School at the end of 2018.

Jacqueline is not only directing When Light Breaks, but she has crafted the journey of the show, inspired by the quote “we are all broken, that’s how the light gets in.” The concert is set around the ritual of grief, moving through five stages – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, moving from darkness to light over the course of the performance.

The journey of the concert will be guided by puppetry from Little Dog Barking Theatre Company, a first for a Voices New Zealand concert.

Voices Ensembles is a new project offering an exciting opportunity for professional singers in Aotearoa New Zealand to work and perform at a high artistic level. Choirs Aotearoa has received funding from Creative New Zealand to run a pilot scheme that creates small vocal ensembles of Voices NZ singers. The pilot is artistically led by Karen Grylls and Christopher Bruerton (current member of The King’s Singers) and will run from March to October 2021.

Auditions will be held 19 and 26 February.

Check out this additional information and how to apply.

Taonga Moana is heading to the mainland, the Festival of Colour in Wanaka for a one-night only concert on 14 April.

“For Voices New Zealand, Taonga Moana represents a significant moment in their performing career. When I founded the choir in 1998, the aspiration was to create a Chamber Choir on a professional level, to be visible alongside our national orchestra, national ballet and national opera company. The hope was also that such an ensemble would be something young singers could aspire to for a professional life in ensemble singing. This remains so…It is with great humility and pleasure that I invite you to share the journey of the kuaka with us…” – Karen Grylls, Artistic Director & Conductor

Read more here

A year ago we challenged ourselves to keep singing at a world-class level, as expected from Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, but in a way that is more locally focused when borders and alert levels keep us at home.

We’re excited now to debut our regional ensembles! With funding from Creative NZ’s resilience fund, we’re now rolling out the project in Wellington and Auckland.

Read more here

The Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust governs three national choirs with great domestic and international reputations – NZ Secondary Students’ Choir https://www.nzsschoir.com/, NZ Youth Choir https://www.nzyouthchoir.com/ and Voices NZ https://www.voicesnz.com/. The associated Choirs Aotearoa Foundation Trust manages an endowment fund to provide long term financial support to the charitable activities of the Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand Trust.

We are looking for new Trustees with specific skills for the Choirs Aotearoa Foundation Trust.

The Foundation has been well established with a simple structure and a modest investment base. We are looking for people to help take things forward with new ideas on how we might grow the fund to provide for the long term security of the choirs as well as providing the support to enable broad access and participation in our national choirs. We may also be looking for someone to chair the Foundation Trust in the future.

We are looking for skills in the areas of investment management, marketing and/or communications and community networks to oversee and grow the current invested funds, through bequests and donations.

We’d love to hear from you and invite you to send your governance CV to canztrustees@gmail.com by 18 June 2021.

If you have questions you can contact the current CANZ Chair at canztrustees@gmail.com.

Just in time for the festive season, we’re proud to present ‘Follow That Star’, a southern hemisphere Christmas collection of New Zealand Choral Music. In the midst of the pandemic, six New Zealand composers (five are represented here) were commissioned by Voices New Zealand and Artistic Director, Karen Grylls, to reimagine familiar Christmas tunes. The new works set old tunes, some with the atmosphere of centuries old traditions and some with the stories and traditions from New Zealand.

You can read more of Artistic Director Karen Grylls thoughts here.

Stream now on all your favourite music platforms.