Hooks, Lines and Singers

Hooks, Lines and Singers image

Being in the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus takes time, passion and commitment but its members find it strangely addictive.


Glenn Meade was perfectly happy working for Turner's Car Auctions in Auckland back in 2002. She had been in the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus since 1998 and liked the balance of work and passionate hobby - although one wonders why she wasn't actually auctioning the cars herself, with her powerful mezzo-soprano. But with the amalgamation of the Auckland and Wellington companies, the Chorus Manager's job became a dual-city role and Jude Froude - then handling the Auckland chorus as well as being the Artistic Administrator - decided to hand over the reins. Glenn got the job and said goodbye to cars and hello to bars (the musical kind!). Now we get two for the price of one: Glenn manages all matters to do with the Chorus for each production (coaching them is down to Chorus Masters John Rosser and Michael Vinten) and usually joins in at the Auckland rehearsals. She has appeared in most of our productions since 1998 and sees Chorus membership as a great privilege: "It's our national opera company and there's very little at this level in New Zealand. And it's a good mix of singers. There are the young ones coming up who might be emerging artists and some very good singers who don't necessarily want to be soloists but who still want a way to express their talent."

Being in the Chorus is a big commitment as most members have "real jobs" and families, so supportive partners are a must. Rehearsals are held out of normal working hours and during weekends but the sacrifice deserves recognition and encouragement, says Glenn. They are, above all, a very enthusiastic bunch. "We often get comments from international conductors that ours is the best chorus they've worked with in the world. I think we have a 'New Zealand number 8 wire' sense of doing whatever we have to." Chorus members must reaudition every year so there is no chance of singers getting complacent: they have to be up to scratch or they miss out.

John Bremford is a rather extraordinary 70+ and still making the grade in the Wellington Chorus. A Welshman by birth, his introduction to opera singing in this country was as a chorus member in Die Meistersinger during the New Zealand Festival of the Arts in 1990, which led to him joining the Wellington City Opera Chorus shortly afterwards. Now retired, he finds it much easier to indulge his love of singing. "Music has always been a very important part of my life," he says. "It is a great delight to meet up with old friends at the start of rehearsals and then to watch the production come together. Sometimes I need to pinch myself when I realise that I am part of an opera that has wowed audiences for maybe 100 years. It's magic. What a privilege!"

For Morag McDowell, the juggling act seems almost impossible and yet she can't imagine a life without singing. A current NBR New Zealand Opera Resident Artist and Freemasons Opera Scholar, she joined the Wellington Opera Chorus in 2003, having recently shifted from Auckland. Astonishingly, she does way more than fit in a job around her singing and family (she has an equally timepoor husband and two school-age children): she's one of Auckland's three coroners!

Now back in the City of Sails, Morag is also a member of chamber choir Viva Voce. "I was desperately missing my choral singing when I moved to Wellington. The Chorus was a shock to the system; the singers had big voices, and not only was I required to learn the music off by heart (not something you tend to do in choirs), but the words were in Russian! It made an impression though and I've been there ever since." She brings new shades of meaning to the word "busy" as she describes nine straight days of rehearsals and performances during the Marriage of Figaro season. "Ultimately it's a juggling act. I've got to allow enough time to get from the soccer sideline to the rehearsal studio, being absolutely focused on my work commitments during the day, before cooking for the kids and then refocusing for the theatre after dinner, or doing vocal warm-ups in the car as I get the milk. But there is a tremendous amount of camaraderie, dedication, shared purpose and collective responsibility in the Chorus and it's fun - whether we are interacting on stage as peasants, struggling to get the words right in rehearsal or setting up a corset-lacing production line in the dressing room!"

Chapman Trip

Did you know?

Early opera resembled the atmosphere of a race course - chatting, food, laughter and loud comments were the norm.

During all our opera performances an English translation of the libretto is projected on screens above the stage, so you can easily follow the story.

If you are 25 years old or under you can purchase $25 tickets at the venue box office before any performance.

The world's longest opera is Wagner's The Ring Cycle, lasting over 14 hours plus intervals. That's 18 hours at the theatre.

The world's longest applause lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes as a standing ovation. The opera: Otello starring Placido Domingo.

On average, an opera will last between 2 and 3 hours, with one interval in a two act show, and two in a three act show. Operettas and musicals tend to be shorter.

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