Xmas message draws on unusual collection

THE SOUTHERN CONSORT OF VOICES, Star in the Sky — Music For Christmas, All Saints’ Anglican Church, Dunedin, Sunday, December 14.

Review by Elizabeth Bouman in Otago Daily Times Monday, 15 December 2025 from www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/xmas-message-draws-unusual-collection.

The Southern Consort of Voices filled All Saints’ Church with beautiful sound yesterday.

Director Daniel Kelly has a knack of sourcing unusual and often previously unheard a capella works to present interesting themed recitals.

“Star in the Sky” included mostly Christmas-themed contemporary vocal pieces, opening with 10 women of the group moving through the centre aisle singing John Rutter’s arrangement of Personent Hodie, accompanied by percussion.

They continued with a tight harmonically blended Ubi Caritas et Amor by Eriks Esenvalds, before being joined by six male singers to work their way steadily through 13 short items, all with immaculate blend, pitch and dynamic contrast.

Two Mendelssohn morsels were the double-choir Frohlocket, ihr Volker auf Erden (MWV B. 42) and an energised multi-part Ehre sei Gott in der Hohe (MWV B. 57).

More contemporary items were David Childs’ setting of Salve Regina and the contemplative Appalachian folk song I Wonder as I Wander arranged by Andrew Carter.

Conquering foreign language, plus tight harmonic prowess, was very evident in Saenk kun di Hoved (Nielson) in Danish, and Japanese lullaby Edo Lullaby — Arr with soloist Cathy Highton-Sim.

Paul Smith and a Swedish number Aftonen by Norman Luboff matched the English translation with soft, subtle blended sound.

David Burchell accompanied three guest soloists. Arrochar Voice sang her own composition White Flower, with text exploring relationships between voice and piano creating an intertwining soundscape.

Eva Stein sang a Mozart recitative and aria from act 3 of Lucia Silla, K.135 and Isobel Topham contributed King David by Herbert Howells.

More contemporary pieces completed the programme, an absolute highlight being O Salutaris Hostia by Esenvalds, with soprano soloists Highton-Sim and Kathryn Gardner.

Excellent diction and strong story-telling along with supreme dynamic attention are paramount in this group.

Nova! Nova! (Chilcott) and the final Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born of the Virgin Mary! from Gaudete arranged by Karl Jenkins ended an outstanding recital with a strong Christmas message.

Impressive range of dynamics on display

Southern Consort of Voices — German Romantic Choral Works, St Joseph’s Chapel, Sunday, October 5.

Review by Elizabeth Bouman in Otago Daily Times Monday, 6 October 2025 from https://www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/impressive-range-dynamics-display.

Yesterday the chapel at the rear of St Joseph’s cathedral was filled with mainly regular followers of this specialist Dunedin a capella group.

The Consort of 20 voices began their programme with three works from a mass by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47).

Kyrie eleison was an appropriate strong opening, Ehre sei Gott in der Hohe continued the theme with some robust harmonies, and a shorter Heilig finished with expressions of “singing Hosanna in the heights”.

The delivery of German text was confident and assured, and excellent translated programme notes added further understanding for the audience.

Zum Abendsegen , also by Mendelssohn, further demonstrated the impressive range of dynamics this group of vocalists achieve.

Anton Bruckner’s (1824-96) two pieces presented complex vocal harmonies with many changes in texture and dynamics — Os Justi meditabitur and Locus iste, which achieved immaculate control in the final last line fade-out.

Herr, erhore meine Worte (Op 52 No 3) by George Schumann (1883-1973) was more contemporary, emotional and spirited with unusual modulations.

Three soloists presented solos, all accompanied by pianist Sanaz Rezai. Soprano Cathy Highton-Sim chose Auf dem Wasser zu singen and Kathryn Gardner, also soprano, sang Erlafsee both by Schubert with German text depicting nature and romance. Tenor Kieran Kelly was in excellent voice for Brahms’ Die Mainacht, delivering a controlled emotive text with great sincerity and expression.

The Consort’s final bracket of four were by Rheinberger (1839-1901), Brahms, Mendelssohn, a more lyrical contemporary piece Maria durch ein Dornwald ging by German composer Stefan Claas (1968-2021) and an eight-part Frohlocket, ihr Volker auf Erden by Mendelssohn.

Altogether an outstanding performance by this amateur group of vocalists and their dedicated director Kelly.

Exceptional choral blend

Soundscapes, Southern Consort of Voices, St Joseph’s Chapel, Sunday 11 May 2025

Review by Judy Bellingham in Otago Daily Times Monday, 12 May 2025 from www.odt.co.nz/entertainment/music/exceptional-choral-blend.

The well-titled programme Soundscapes presented by the Southern Consort of Voices entertained a large audience in St Joseph’s Chapel yesterday afternoon.

The consort’s director, Daniel Kelly, has a reputation for adventurous programming and this programme was no exception.

Music spanning five centuries, from five different countries, and sung in four different languages disclosed significant choral diversity.

Kelly’s spoken introductions were personable and added to the audience’s enjoyment and understanding of the music, much of which was by lesser-known composers.

The choral blend from the 17 singers was exceptional, although at times the soprano mix was not optimal.

The beautiful acoustics within the chapel were used to great effect with different choral placings at the front, the back, and the sides to create antiphonal impacts. However, this did cause occasional rhythmic problems especially in Tallis’ Miserere Nostri.

Technically, the choir sings with a wide range of dynamics which never lose vocal focus, outstanding crescendi and diminuendi, and healthy unforced vocal tone.

The opening piece Bring us, O Lord God by Harris allowed the choir to settle down and revealed delicately shaped phrases with some excellent legato linking from the sopranos. Reger’s Nachtlied enabled the choir’s attention to linguistic detail to shine with excellent German.

The humming in Aftonen by Alfven carried effortlessly, and the choir’s robust choral sound was heard in Eric Whitacre’s Lux Urumque. An unusual setting of Ave Maris Stella by Sjoberg featured spoken and whispered vocal effects.

The final four pieces lifted the overall mood of the programme which had been a little staid. Propitiously, Sleepsong by Lovland empowered the choir to become successful storytellers.

Excellent soloists within the choir were sopranos Cathy Highton-Sim and Kathryn Gardner, and tenors Kieran Kelly and Ewen Clarke-Wallace.