Dunedin RSA Choir Vocal scholars’ concert, St Patrick’s Basilica, Saturday, September 9.
On Saturday afternoon I attended the RSA Choir Vocal Scholars’ Concert in St Patrick’s Basilica, where the audience enjoyed choral favourites and some excellent solo singing by the choir’s three current scholars.
It has become customary for local choirs to give monetary support and performance opportunity to young singers who are studying voice locally, and many successful international musicians have received such assistance during their training.
Choir director was Karen Knudsen and Tom McGrath accompanied. They began with a performance of Victor Galway’s Let Us Now Praise Famous Men — a strong interpretation with impressive dynamic contrasts. Then Dom Edmond presented a bracket of three solos — Automne in French by Faure, a light operatic solo Mattinata by Leoncavallo and an emotive rendition of Maria from West Side Story. He then joined the choir for the popular Irish favourite Danny Boy.
Soprano Rosie Auchinvole’s solos were Delize by Cavelli, Bel Piacere by Handel and the beautiful Benjamin Britten setting of The Last Rose of Summer. This young voice has developed tremendously, and in the spacious Basilica acoustics she really let go with stunning results in the Britten especially, and with the choir in Handel’s Where’er You Walk.
Baritone Kieran Kelly began with L’hotel (Polenc), followed by When the Lights Go Rolling Round the Sky by John Ireland and a Brahms German lied. He shared a very stylistic Afro-American spiritual and Bring Him Home with the choir, before everyone including the audience enjoyed singing (with some flag-waving) Land of Hope and Glory.
David More compered the recital and long service awards were presented to tenor Brian Donnelly (15 years) and bass Foalima Lemalu (25 years).
Altogether a very enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment.
