The Tauranga Civic Choir is striking a celebratory note in its 65th anniversary year, returning to one of the most beloved works in the choral canon - Messiah by George Frideric Handel.

The milestone performance, to be held on Sunday, May 31 at 2.30pm at St Peter’s in the City, marks the choir’s first presentation of Messiah in more than a decade.

Chairperson Bonnie Hebenton said bringing the work back was a deliberate choice to honour the choir’s long history.

“We last performed it in 2012,” she said. “We’ve done it many times in the past, but we really wanted it to be part of our 65th celebrations - it’s such a significant work.”

Adding to the occasion is guest conductor Chalium Poppy, a Mount Maunganui-based musician and musical director who is widely associated with annual Messiah performances through his own ensemble, Scholars Baroque Aotearoa.

In a rare shift, Poppy has stepped away from conducting the work with his regular choir this year to lead the Tauranga Civic Choir instead.

“That’s quite a big deal for us,” Hebenton said. “Chalium has a wealth of knowledge and experience and expects excellence from his choirs. He’s very experienced with this piece, and the choir is learning a great deal, particularly about Baroque singing.”

Guest conductor Chalium Poppy. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Poppy said it’s a “true pleasure and honour” to have been asked to guest conduct the Tauranga Civic Choir’s Messiah performance in their 65th anniversary year.

“This is my fourth occasion guest conducting the TCC and, like all previous occasions, it’s been an absolute joy,” Poppy said.

“They are such a welcoming and enthusiastic whānau of singers with an earnest desire and drive to learn and grow in their art and love of singing.

“Over the last few months, we’ve dived deep into world of authentic baroque performance practice for singers; my particular area of passion and expertise.”

Poppy said because of its often complex and layered counterpoint, clarity and articulation of rhythm are the skill set required of any choir exploring the baroque soundscape.

“This is opposed to the more luscious richness and thickness of tone we might favour in more romantic-type choral works by composers such as Mendelssohn and Brahms,” Poppy said.

“So, the choir has worked feverishly and furiously at techniques to both enhance rhythmic precision and give phrases a sense of delicacy.”

Poppy said Messiah is often viewed as a Christmas work.

“And indeed, taking in a performance of Messiah is certainly a beloved holiday tradition for many of us. But this May performance reminds us that Handel himself intended the work as an Easter oratorio when he premiered it in Dublin some 285 years ago.

“I don’t suppose there’s ever a wrong time to perform this truly timeless masterpiece when one considers the powerful messages of comfort and hope that it speaks to the world of instability and disorder in which we find ourselves today.”

Members of the Tauranga Civic Choir rehearsing Messiah for a performance to be held on May 31 at St Peter’s in the City, Tauranga. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

Founded in 1961 by Beatrice Webster as the Cantabile Singers, the choir has evolved into a cornerstone of Tauranga’s musical life. Renamed in 1987, it has maintained a strong civic presence, performing annually at Anzac Day commemorations and citizenship ceremonies, as well as staging regular concerts for local audiences.

Over the decades, the choir has been shaped by a succession of musical directors, including long-serving conductor Jeremy Whimster. He led it from 1992 to 2016, introducing composers such as Britten, Finzi and Durufle, and was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in 2015 for his contribution to music.

More recently, Nigel Williams has contributed as musical director and composer, premiering his Matariki work Flax Fingers Weave the Moonlight with the choir in 2024 after an interim period when musical director Jan Clarke led the choir from 2020-2023.

In the absence of a permanent musical director over the past 18 months, the choir has embraced a rotating lineup of guest conductors - an approach Hebenton says has invigorated members.

“Each conductor brings something different. It’s challenged us with new styles and techniques, and the standard has been outstanding.”

The choir typically numbers around 65 members, though about 50 will take part in the anniversary performance. It also continues to foster emerging talent, inviting young singers and instrumentalists to perform alongside the ensemble.

For Hebenton, who joined the choir in 2018 and is now in her fifth year as chair, the upcoming concert carries personal significance.

“It’s actually my first time singing Messiah,” she said. “For some of us it’s a new experience, while others know it well - so it’s exciting to bring it all together.”

The performance will feature organist Douglas Mews and soloists Elizabeth Mandeno (soprano), Jessica Wells (alto), Iain Tetley (tenor), and Blake Scanlen (bass).

Running for approximately two hours, the concert will include an interval and a curated selection of movements from the full oratorio.

The anniversary year will continue with further concerts in September and December, with a formal celebration event bringing together past and present members.

“We’ve sung for thousands of people over the decades,” Hebenton said. “This feels like a really special way to celebrate that history.”