Most of our performances are accompanied by musical ensembles and often feature talented young and established soloists. Three concerts in the year are costly to put on, and we are grateful to our various financial Supporters to allow us these opportunities to perform. The choir has built up a library of music over the years and this is available for hire to other choral groups.
Our Concerts section includes full details of our next performance and information about our past concerts, which illustrates the broad range of music we perform. You will also find photos of past performances.
2023 Concert Schedule
Sunday 26 November at 2.30pm – Turner Centre, Kerikeri
“A Cracker Of A Concert!”
“A cracker” brings thoughts of Christmas as well as something with a special exciting quality!
The choice of music for the BOIS November concert should fit the bill with early festive music for choir and
brass to a Bach masterpiece, the first performance of a Christmas work by New Zealander Michael Bell
and some popular musical surprises. The choir will be joined by soloists Henrietta Reid, Jarvis Dams and Michael Burch
along with a guest orchestra conducted by John Jackets
Concert Reviews
2021 Autumn Concert - Carmina Burana
18 APRIL 2021 - Concert review by John Russell
John Jackets has done it again! Time after time he demands more and more from the Bay of Island Singers of which he is their Musical Director. As always, the choir worked hard to achieve what was possibly its most stirring and best performance ever. The Singers were supported brilliantly by musicians from all over the North Island along with the extraordinarily talented baritone, Malcolm Leitch, from Christchurch.
Their exciting programme ranged from the ‘pianissimo’ to the ‘fortissimo’ beginning with the beautiful and haunting folksong, ‘Dirait-on’ by the American composer, Morten Lauridsen This was followed by ‘The Rose’, by Norwegian-born Ola Gjeilo with two pianos, played by Rosemary Barnes and Michael Bell, accompanying the choir in this sweet and gentle melody conjuring up thoughts of a warm wave washing over the listener. Next up, the ‘Seal Lullaby’ by American composer Eric Whitacre to a poem by Rudyard Kipling was movingly rendered by the choir.
The first half was rounded off beautifully with a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘Five Mystical Songs’ for Choir and Baritone solo accompanied by organist Michael Bell.
After the interval, the excited audience returned to a superb rendition of Carl Orff’s ever-popular Carmina Burana, with text, occasionally profane, in medieval Latin and German. Beginning and ending with the almost brutish ‘O Fortuna’, this truly stirring cantata of lusty, wild, even boorish ostinati saw the Bay of Islands Singers, along with soloist Malcolm Leitch accompanied by an army of percussionists and two grand pianos, thrill and inspire the audience to a noisy and prolonged standing ovation.
Spring Concert: Fauré, Finzi & Festive Favourites - Sunday 29 November, 2020
Despite Covid 19 delaying the Bay of Island Singers first concert of the year, the choir out-performed its past matchless presentations proffering yet another eagerly anticipated performance to a packed auditorium in the Turner Centre Kerikeri. In the words of John Jackets, their Musical Director, this concert was ‘a celebration of the joy of making music together’
The three fine soloists, Elizabeth Mandeno, soprano, Jarvis Dams, baritone, and Michael Burch, tenor, added their professional talents to the choir’s exquisiteness thereby ensuring that the magnificence of the human voice and spirit enthralled us all throughout the concert. The choir and soloists were further embellished by a magnificent 23-piece orchestra. The entire ensemble was directed by Kerikeri’s own John Jackets QSM who also kept the audience informed and amused with anecdotes about the programme.
The concert opened with Fauré’s ‘Requiem’. Fauré himself, declared that ‘art and music existed to elevate mankind as far as possible above everyday existence’ and to this aim, the choir and audience truly did him proud.
The second half began with Haydn’s Te Deum one of his most popular choral works, and followed by a rare performance of Gerald Finzi’s ‘In Terra Pax-Christmas Scene’, The audience was swiftly enamoured by the ensemble’s superb performance of this relatively obscure work which will undoubtedly ensure that the music of Finzi will be remembered in Kerikeri for a long time to come.
A short orchestral masterpiece, ‘Sleigh Ride’ by Leroy Anderson, had miracles being worked by the percussionists and filled the audience with nostalgia and mirth.
Gustav Holst wrote ‘Christmas Day: Choral Fantasia on Old Carols’ in 1910 for his students at Morley College. The fantasia includes beautifully written settings of a variety of classic Christmas Carols enthusiastically and memorably performed by the choir and orchestra.
French composer Adolphe Adam’s ever popular ‘O Holy Night’ marking the birth of Jesus as humanity’s redeemer was lovingly rendered by the choir, soloists and orchestra and delighted the audience.
Finally, what choral performance would be complete without the rousing anthem ‘Zadok the Priest’ by Handel. The audience was enraptured by the choir’s presentation of this work and awarded two curtain recalls demonstrating its appreciation and gratitude for the incomparable excellence of conductor John Jackets, the Bay of Islands Singers, soloists and orchestra.
From a concert review by John Russell
