Weather holds up national choir

Press, 18 May 1989, Page 6

Weather holds up national choir

Fog and rain have made life difficult for the National Youth Choir, which is in Canterbury this week.

The choir was due to arrive in Christchurch last Sunday, but fog prevented the Wellington contingent from landing. They were reticketed three times before being taken to Auckland, finally reaching Christchurch on Monday evening. Their scheduled performance at the Victoria Square amphitheatre yesterday was cancelled due to rain.

This evening, the choir will be in Timaru for a concert at the Catholic Cathedral, and tomorrow, they will give a lunchtime concert in Ashburton.

Back in Christchurch, a lunchtime concert for Saturday is a possibility if the weather is good, and on Sunday, there will be a concert at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament at 2.30 p.m. Sixty-three young people were chosen from 195 at auditions for the choir in February, and 13 of them are from Christchurch.

Ms Karen Grylls is the choir’s new conductor. She recently spent four years in the United States where she gained a masters degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington, with the conductor, Abraham Kaplin. She now teaches at the Auckland University Music Department and is working on a doctoral dissertation on Stravinsky.