As we count down the days to our performance, we would like to share with you some of the photos from our last polishing workshop.   

Photos courtesy of Alfred Shum.

The world quite literally came to The Bay of Plenty last Saturday evening with a stunning musical performance of Joseph Haydn’s The Creation by an ensemble of world-class musicians and singers. They came together under the superb baton of guest conductor Indra Hughes to bring this musical masterpiece especially to Tauranga. The audience of several hundred was spellbound...

Dr Indra Hughes is widely recognised as one of the most distinguished musicians working in New Zealand today. He has directed the music for Her Majesty the Queen on three occasions in England and New Zealand, including the great service of thanksgiving for the opening of the completed cathedral in Auckland...

This year we have one new Scholar and two returning. Iya Jarbadan is our newest member of the Soprano section. Alfred Shum and Taylor Moffat return to the Bass section after successful previous years. Additional congratulations to Taylor for also becoming Head Boy of Papamoa College.  To get to know them better, we asked our 2016 scholarship members some questions...

Last season marked a turning point in the life of the choir as the Scholars, for the first time, tackled two enormous choral masterworks to critical acclaim - the Mozart Requiem and Handel's Messiah.  The Scholars marked their fifth year anniversary of music making by appropriately collaborating with two amazing orchestras, Opus Orchestra and NZbAROK...

Under the inspired direction of Chalium Poppy, Scholars Pro Musica with the NZbAROK Chamber Orchestra and soprano Jayne Tankersley, countertenor Stephen Diaz, tenor Iain Tetley and bass Jonathan Eyres measured and poured the sweet redemptive messages of the Messiah for an audience so newly quieted by current events of terror and loss, now rapt in awe of such great music

One cannot deny the beauty of Mozart's final work; his Requiem Mass. Saturday evening, I had the pleasure of hearing a stunning rendition by the Scholars Pro Musica and Opus Orchestra. The flawless first notes of the woodwinds followed by the piercing purity of soprano Jayne Tankersley's voice were signs of good things to come. And the Scholars Pro Musica did not disappoint...

Chalium discusses how and why he started the Scholars Pro Musica back in 2010.

Chalium Poppy started the Scholars Pro Musica in 2010.  Two years after he created The Scholars Pro Musica, Chalium talks about why he started it and his hopes for the future.

The bright lights and large crowd were daunting as I stepped on stage for the first time; butterflies in my stomach and sweaty palms grasping my music. Then, the orchestra began to play. The acoustics were fantastic and orchestra incredible, not to mention the mesmerising soloists. WOW!!! As we began...