Richard was a founding member of the NZ Youth Choir and has also sung in the NZ Opera Chorus, Viva Voce, and Auckland Choral; initially as a B2 but latterly as a B1. He took degrees in chemistry (Auckland) and history of science (Princeton) and now is General Manager of the University of Auckland Foundation and its endowment fund. He also chairs the board governing the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium (aka “Stardome”).

Quillan is from Auckland and holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Auckland, having majored in Computer Science. Quillan attended Rangitoto College while in Auckland and was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir 2019-2020 cycle. Quillan is in his second cycle with the New Zealand Youth Choir and is a current member of the Auckland Youth Choir and the Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble, where he also sings bass, and has sung in various massed choral ensembles, including multiple with New Zealand Opera.

When he’s not singing, Quillan can often be found reading or trying to fix a bug in his code. 

Born in Dunedin, Nicola studied voice and piano performance at Otago University. She went on to complete a Masters degree in performance singing from Victoria University and a Diploma from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, Holland.

Nicola has had many years experience as a soprano soloist, choral singer and musical director. She has sung in the New Zealand Youth Choir, and while studying in Holland, performed throughout Europe with various professional ensembles.  Since returning to New Zealand in 2003, Nicola has been in demand as a soloist with performances including Monteverdi Vespers 1610 with Bach Musica New Zealand and Handel’s Messiah with the Christchurch City Choir.

Nicola is also an enthusiastic choral conductor. During her time directing Lyrica, the Kelburn Normal School choir, they have toured New Zealand with the NZSO and recorded a CD of These arms to hold you by Eve de Castro Robinson. Nicola lives in Wellington with her husband and two young daughters  – Tilly and Bea. 

Chelsea completed her Bachelor of Music majoring in organ performance at Te Kokī, New Zealand School of Music in Wellington. She then graduated from a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington. She is still living in Wellington and works in the public sector on large-scale transport investment and project management.
Chelsea was a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir from 2015 – 2019, touring to both Europe and around the Pacific Islands. She now sings with Voices NZ and the Tudor Consort in Wellington.

Matthew is an Auckland-born tenor and has achieved an ARSM in singing with distinction, under the tutelage of Dr Morag Atchison. He has been a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and the Auckland Chamber Choir, and is currently a choral scholar at Christ Church South Yarra in Melbourne while he completes a Masters in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne. A recent highlight for Matthew was the touring of Joby Talbot’s ‘Path of Miracles’ around Victoria, Australia.

Blake Scanlen is a bass-baritone, conductor, and composer from Tāmaki Makaurau. He currently performs with Voices NZ, NZ Youth Choir, Auckland Chamber Choir, Austellus Vocal Ensemble, and St Matthew’s Voices as well as various solo engagements with local community choirs. Blake is currently the Artistic Director of Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble and teaches Music and English at Westlake Boys High School. He studied composition, conducting, and classical performance voice at The University of Auckland’s School of Music, graduating in 2022.

Dan is based in Palmerston North, and before University, he attended Palmerston North Boys High School and was a member of the school choir ‘The OK Chorale’; this is where his passion for music and singing began. As a chorister, Dan was a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir from 2017-18 and this is his second cycle with NZYC. He explores barbershop singing with internationally recognised  Wellington Chorus Vocal FX. Dan was recently accepted into the wider singing pool of Voices NZ.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from the New Zealand School of Music in 2021. Dan works as a Primary school teacher in the Manawatū region and he is working as an itinerant music teacher in a range of high schools as a brass, strings and singing teacher. He continues performing music in big bands, and community choirs in his spare time. 

Hey, I’m Josh, I am currently a first year student studying at Victoria University of Wellington. I am working towards a Bachelor of Science with a particular interest in Marine biology and biodiversity…but we shall see where that goes in the future. I currently live in Napier and I was also born and raised here. Aside from music, my other major hobbies include tropical fish-keeping, and figurine collecting, with a particular taste for dinosaurs at the moment. One of few quirks happens to be the ability to make decent animal impressions, which is always a good laugh.

Takerei (ia/they/them) is based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and holds a BMus in Classical Performance Voice from the University of Auckland. Takerei is very active in the NZ choral scene as a singer, composer and conductor. They sing in the New Zealand Youth Choir, and Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, and regularly perform with choirs and ensembles around the country. Previously, they were a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir’s 2017-2018 cycle. 

Alongside this, Takerei is actively involved as a conductor. They have been the Peter Godfrey Conducting Scholar for the New Zealand Youth Choir, and have conducted choirs at Kristin School, St Paul’s College Ponsonby, Auckland Grammar School, and currently Takapuna Grammar School and Epsom Girls Grammar School. They also developed the Lower Voices Choral Festival, which brought together lower-voice choirs from around Tāmaki Makaurau for an afternoon of bonding over singing and performance. The festival had a successful first outing in May of 2024. 

As a composer, they have enjoyed writing various commissions over the years. Their most recent major work, E Kiwi E, was premiered by in April of 2024 by Orpheus Choir Wellington, joined by Wellington Brass and Hiwa Performance Creative. In October of 2024, they were awarded Highly Commended in the national choral composition competition, Compose Aotearoa!, with their piece, Papatūānuku, scored for SATB double chorus. 

In their free time, Takerei enjoys playing video games, gawking at sunsets, and begging their three cats to love them.