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The Orpheus Choir of Wellington is an auditioned mixed-voice symphonic choir based in
The Hutt Valley Musical Society was established in 1947, and the Hutt Valley Orpheus Society choir emerged from it a few years later. Its first conductors were Horace Hunt and Len Schwabe, then Malcolm Rickard.
By 1958 the choir was performing in large choral works with the National Orchestra (now the
Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...
. It has over 150 members and regularly performs with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, per the New Zealand Sympho ...
and Orchestra Wellington
Orchestra Wellington is New Zealand's oldest professional regional orchestra, based in the capital city of Wellington. It hosts an annual subscription series of concerts in the Michael Fowler Centre, performing varied repertoire from the Classi ...
.
History
The Hutt Valley Musical Society was established in 1947, and the Hutt Valley Orpheus Society choir emerged from it a few years later. Its first conductors were Horace Hunt and Len Schwabe, then Malcolm Rickard.
By 1958 the choir was performing in large choral works with the National Orchestra (now the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Wellington, New Zealand. The national orchestra of New Zealand, the NZSO is an autonomous Crown entity owned by the Government of New Zealand, per the New Zealand Sympho ...
) conducted by John Hopkins, such as the Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
''Resurrection Symphony
The Symphony No. 2 in C minor by Gustav Mahler, known as the ''Resurrection Symphony'', was written between 1888 and 1894, and first performed in 1895. This symphony was one of Mahler's most popular and successful works during his lifetime. It was ...
'', the Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
''Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...
'', and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
's Ninth Symphony in 1967.
In 1983 Peter Godfrey became the musical director upon Malcolm Rickard's retirement.
The current musical director is Brent Stewart, appointed in 2014.
References
Bibliography
*External links
* Culture in Wellington New Zealand choirs Musical groups from Wellington {{NewZealand-band-stub