Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Opera school voices bring joy to chapel

By Lin Ferguson
Whanganui Chronicle·
15 Jan, 2017 04:30 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

CHOIR IN SONG: Opera school students (front, from left ) Elizabeth Harris, Cecily Shaw and James Henare perform at the Collegiate chapel. PHOTO/NATALIE SIXTUS

CHOIR IN SONG: Opera school students (front, from left ) Elizabeth Harris, Cecily Shaw and James Henare perform at the Collegiate chapel. PHOTO/NATALIE SIXTUS

The theme of the old biblical prophet Elijah in Felix Mendelssohn's glorious oratorio orchestrated the annual New Zealand Opera School chapel service yesterday.

The service - titled In Praise of Music - featured the Mendelssohn work throughout as a musical blessing personified.

And the congregation of 400 - it was standing room only - at the Wanganui Collegiate chapel were riveted.

With the 24 opera students in the glowing candle-lit choir stalls either side of the altar, the magnificent pipe organ, played by Alan Gray of Nelson, resonated from the loft and there was also accompaniment from a virtuoso trumpet played by Whanganui's Clyde Dixon.

In full voice, the congregation and opera students' rendition of Jerusalem was rousing and inspiring.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This old hymn by William Blake and Sir Hubert Parry is a powerful piece that enthralls today and forever.

Another old hymn, Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory, was dedicated to the memory of John Gray, a long-serving committee member and treasurer of the Wanganui Opera Week committee who died late last year.

Here again, a fine and memorable choice which stirred the hearts of all.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Solos from the oratorio included Ye People Rend Your Hearts, sung with warm lyrical empathy by Wellington tenor Frederick Jones, and Hear Ye Israel,, sung by soprano Eliza Boom with an enduring passion.

Edwards Laurenson's Give Me Thy Son - also from Elijah - was stirring and beautiful.

Another Mendelssohn song, On Wings of Song, played as a duet with Luca Manghi on flute and David Kelly on piano, was a delicate touch and a very sweet song to hear as a delicate interlude.

This choir of young opera voices lifted to the rafters in the beautiful old chapel, with candles glowing in the sconces and the stained glass windows casting a special glow.
To hear a service like this with such singers and musicians is a treasure indeed for a Whanganui audience.

Once again the chapel service oozed warmth and passion, and when the students filed down the centre aisle at the close they were all beaming and proud.

Beautiful classical music was ours again in Whanganui ... praise the lord!

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

'He's just scared of me': Teen's Māori wards challenge to PM

06 Jul 03:55 AM

Chris Hipkins agreed to meet him in Wellington after the Prime Minister said 'no'.

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

Brazen hammer heist: Police hunt jewel thief, staff distressed after store raid

05 Jul 05:11 AM
Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

Kāinga Ora needs to be ‘responsive to need’, says minister

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Work begins on key phase of port project

Work begins on key phase of port project

04 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP