CONCERT II – FRENCH MASTERS
8th & 9th August 2026
Requiem - G. Fauré
Te Deum - M.A. Charpentier
TICKETS AVAILABLE SOON!
Our second concert features the much-loved Requiem by Gabriel Fauré. A timeless classic and an eternal favourite of choirs and audiences alike, the Scholars are delighted to bring this cherished work from their library once again.
Previous performances of the Requiem by the Scholars have been described as “breathtaking and sublime”, and this year’s performance promises to deliver the same drama and serenity for which the work is so deeply loved.
Alongside it, the concert features Marc‑Antoine Charpentier’s radiant Te Deum, a hallmark of the French Baroque. Its orchestral brilliance and intricate choral writing offer a vivid contrast to the gentle intimacy of Fauré’s vision, capturing the splendour of 17th‑century France.
A richly expressive evening of French elegance, colour, and choral beauty.
Our Featured Artists
The Scholars Baroque Aotearoa will be led by conductor Chalium Poppy, joined by popular tenor soloist Iain Tetley and exceptional soloists from within the ensemble. The programme also features distinguished Wellington musician Douglas Mews, renowned for his mastery of historic keyboard instruments and celebrated performances across New Zealand and abroad.
Douglas Mews
Douglas Mews is a freelance Wellington musician specialising in performance on historic keyboard instruments. He is organist at St Teresa’s Church Karori and Artist Teacher at the NZSM. He studied at Auckland University with Anthony Jennings and then at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague with Bob van Asperen.
As a chamber musician playing harpsichord and piano, Douglas works with various Wellington ensembles, including The Night Watch, Hammers and Horsehair, The Amici Ensemble and Camerata. As an organist he has taken part in the Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields Festival and the Early Music Festival in Bolzano, Italy.
Iain Tetley
Iain developed his passion for singing in England, gaining his music degree at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Since coming to this side of the world, he has performed solo many times around New Zealand, and was a member of the specialist chamber choir Musica Sacra.
Career highlights include singing in an octet for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; as the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion with City Choir Dunedin, Bach Musica and Auckland Choral; as the Evangelist in Bach's St John Passion with City Choir Dunedin; and as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with Auckland Choral. He has also sung solo in excerpts of Handel’s Solomon alongside world-renowned countertenor Andreas Scholl.
Iain’s degree specialised in Conducting, and he has directed several choirs, including South Auckland Choral, the Franklin Community Choir, and Cantorum. He combined three choirs, full orchestra and eight soloists to conduct the Auckland premiere of Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.
In 2018 Iain moved to Whanganui, where he has conducted Schola Sacra Choir since 2019. On stage, he performed as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in 2023, with Amdram Whanganui.
SINGERS WANTED
Tauranga’s Premier Chamber Choir are auditioning singers
The Scholars Baroque Aotearoa are a chamber choir dedicated to informed performances of period music (often baroque) with an emphasis on stylistic excellence and superior choral sound.
The Scholars have availability for ALTOS, TENORS and BASSES to join this year.
The choir seeks singers with previous choral experience. Although not a requirement, the ability to read music at sight is an asset.
The choir also offers several scholarships for all voices of $1,000 on an annual basis which are available to high school, polytechnic or university students. Scholarship recipients are expected to be pursuing some form of study in music (e.g. private tuition, secondary/tertiary study; voice or other instrument/s). This is a golden opportunity for good musicians who have fine voices, the commitment to be part of a close-knit team, and a desire to develop first class sight-reading skills.
For more information about the Scholars Baroque Aotearoa, please go to our Scholarships page.
To make further inquiries, arrange an audition, or for more information about choral scholarships, please contact the Artistic & Musical Director at scholars@scholarsbaroque.com
SCHOLARS BAROQUE AOTEAROA
“AN ASTONISHINGLY CONTEMPORARY CONFECTION OF RAPIDLY MOVING MELODIOUS BAROQUE MUSIC"