Tauranga Civic Choir Celebrates 65 Years
Originally founded in 1961 by music teacher Beatrice Webster as the Cantabile Singers, Tauranga Civic Choir has grown from a small group of nine women into a much-loved and well-established part of Tauranga’s cultural life. In 1987, the choir’s name was changed to better reflect its development and its long-standing role in the community.
Over the years, the choir has been guided by a succession of dedicated musical directors who have each brought their own energy and vision. Soprano Merle Fausett led the choir for 12 years from 1978 and helped shape its early growth. Jeremy Whimster, musical director from 1992 to 2016, introduced the choir to composers such as Britten, Finzi and Duruflé, and led the choir to a silver award in the 2003 National Final of the NZ Choral Federation’s Classic Sing. Jeremy was awarded a well-earned Queen’s Service Medal for services to music in 2015.
The choir has continued to encourage and support younger musicians, including singers, organists and instrumentalists, and has long valued the contribution of guest performers and student singers. Today, the choir typically numbers around 65 voices and presents three or four concerts each year, sharing choral music with audiences across Tauranga and beyond.
Nigel Williams became musical director in 2017 and returned again in 2023 after a period of change during the COVID years. In 2024, he composed Flax Fingers Weave the Moonlight, a beautiful celebration of Matariki that premiered in July that year. In recent years, the choir has also welcomed guest musical directors including Fergus Byett, William McElwee, Evelyn Falconer and Chalium Poppy, each of whom has brought fresh insight, challenge and inspiration to the choir’s work.
As we celebrate 65 years, the choir is proud to mark the occasion with Handel’s Messiah under the direction of Chalium Poppy. Last performed by Tauranga Civic Choir in 2012, this magnificent work offers a fitting way to honour our history, our singers, and the audiences who have supported us over the decades. We are grateful to the people of Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty for their ongoing enthusiasm for choral singing, and we look forward to many more years of music-making together.
Over the years, the choir has been guided by a succession of dedicated musical directors who have each brought their own energy and vision. Soprano Merle Fausett led the choir for 12 years from 1978 and helped shape its early growth. Jeremy Whimster, musical director from 1992 to 2016, introduced the choir to composers such as Britten, Finzi and Duruflé, and led the choir to a silver award in the 2003 National Final of the NZ Choral Federation’s Classic Sing. Jeremy was awarded a well-earned Queen’s Service Medal for services to music in 2015.
The choir has continued to encourage and support younger musicians, including singers, organists and instrumentalists, and has long valued the contribution of guest performers and student singers. Today, the choir typically numbers around 65 voices and presents three or four concerts each year, sharing choral music with audiences across Tauranga and beyond.
Nigel Williams became musical director in 2017 and returned again in 2023 after a period of change during the COVID years. In 2024, he composed Flax Fingers Weave the Moonlight, a beautiful celebration of Matariki that premiered in July that year. In recent years, the choir has also welcomed guest musical directors including Fergus Byett, William McElwee, Evelyn Falconer and Chalium Poppy, each of whom has brought fresh insight, challenge and inspiration to the choir’s work.
As we celebrate 65 years, the choir is proud to mark the occasion with Handel’s Messiah under the direction of Chalium Poppy. Last performed by Tauranga Civic Choir in 2012, this magnificent work offers a fitting way to honour our history, our singers, and the audiences who have supported us over the decades. We are grateful to the people of Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty for their ongoing enthusiasm for choral singing, and we look forward to many more years of music-making together.