About the Wellington Community Choir

Philosophy

As members of the Wellington Community Choir we believe that singing is our birthright.

For thousands of years all over the world, people have sung - to express joy, celebration and grief, to accompany work and devotion, to aid healing - without worrying about having a "good" voice or "getting it right". Song has always been a part of life, and a way of binding the community together. We aim to cultivate the understanding that vocalising and singing joyfully together is natural and open to all, regardless of previous musical ability or experience.

Music making can be an enormously powerful experience, and this can be witnessed through the many wonderful musical traditions around the world. By sharing the music of different cultures at rehearsals and in performance, we celebrate diversity and promote singing and music making as a liberating and creative experience.

Who we are

We are proud to be a community choir that welcomes all people at any stage throughout the year.

There is no requirement to 'read' music, we do not hold auditions and neither are there any formal joining procedures (if you can walk through the door you are in the choir).

We often have at least 150 people singing together on Wednesday evenings.

We do not sing competitively, but for the joy of singing. We give performances at various community venues and events in Wellington and we also put on evening concerts.

We are a friendly and supportive community and have a lot of fun.

Our Music

We sing music from, or inspired by, different choral traditions from the world's cultures, including New Zealand Aotearoa.

The choir is grouped into 4 main sections; soprano (high female), alto (mid female), tenor (low female, high male) and bass (low male). Please feel free to experiment and find for yourself which group best suits your voice. You are allowed to move!

Our Musical Directors

Musical Director - Julian Raphael

Julian is a leading exponent and teacher of world music and a passionate advocate of music making for all. As well as directing the Wellington Community Choir he regularly leads Global Vocal, African drumming and drum-circle workshops in schools and colleges. Julian is director of Community Music Junction, an organisation committed to the promotion of intercultural participatory music.

Assistant Musical Director - Carol Shortis

Carol has a strong belief in the power of song to bring people with diverse abilities and backgrounds together. Her passion for sharing the singing experience drives a continued interest in arranging and developing songs, particularly from the Celtic folk tradition. In addition to her work with Wellington Community Choir, Carol teaches workshops and other singing groups in the Wellington region, and sometimes composes new choral works.

Our Resources

Songs are taught by ear with words projected onto a screen.

Selected song words will appear on the website and can be downloaded and printed for personal use.

Sheet music may be provided to choir members on request.