In the Spring of 2020, Boston City Singers had planned several events to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Three choirs – two from New Zealand and one from Croatia, were set to share the stage with Boston City Singers in a festive concert in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each choir chose a piece to share from their country. The two choirs from New Zealand, who had planned to visit Boston after performances in Carnegie Hall, together selected Hine e Hine, a Māori lullaby written by Fannie Rose Howie in 1907, skillfully arranged for mixed choir by David Hamilton. In May, Boston City Singers’ Tour Choir also planned to perform in New Hampshire with Keene State College Concert Choir, with a further performance of “Hine e Hine” scheduled to close the programme.
“Keeping the spirit of these cancelled concerts alive was vital for us, so singers from all five ensembles were invited to perform Hine e Hine as a virtual choir”, says Jane Money, Artistic Director of Boston City Singers. “Six ‘graduates’ of New Zealand’s extraordinary choral training programmes collaborated to create this video, which drew 80 voices from four countries”.
Four former members of the New Zealand Youth Choir – Fiona Wilson, Jared Corbett, Anna Leese and Matthew Leese played key roles. Fiona directs Westlake Girls High School Cantare, a frequent Gold Medal Winner in New Zealand Choral Federation’s “The Big Sing” competition. She has also recently been named an Associate Conductor of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.
Have a listen to this extraordinary performance HERE