PEPE Becker’s dream is for New Zealand to have a professional choir on the same standing as the NZ Symphony Orchestra.
Becker, founding manager of Wellington’s Baroque Voices, is also first soprano in the Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, the country’s first nationally selected semi-professional chamber choir.
Led by artistic director Dr Karen Grylls, Voices NZ was formed in 1998. Becker joined the choir a year later and is one of six Wellington singers in the 16 member choir.
Becker says the long term goal of Voices NZ was to be fully professional. As well as performing, members would take a teaching role in schools and workshops.
“At the moment there are only a couple in the choir who are fully professional musicians, Becker says. “We are all paid a small fee but that’s only when we meet for auditions or for performances and tours. Our aim would be to become fully professional.”
Becker is one of the full time musicians. She has been a professional singer since 1987, is a composer and also teaches piano and singing.
“It’s really hard to live as a professional musician in New Zealand. You have to do a little here and a little there to survive.”
Becker was a member of Voices NZ when the choir toured Argentina in August. The choir was invited to attend the World Choral Symposium in Patagonia where they first performed Voices of Aotearoa. The programme included Hildegard von Bingen and medieval organum intertwined with traditional Maori, Samoan and Taiwanese chant, works by New Zealand composers David Child, Helen Fisher and David Hamilton, and Danish American Morten Lauridsen.
“It was received with enthusiasm in Patagonia. The feedback was very positive and we heard the managers of some of the European choirs were very impressed with us. New Zealand is really highly regarded internationally,” Becker says.
The choir will bring Voices of Aotearoa to New Zealand audiences, first in Wellington on Saturday and then touring Napier, Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin.
Voices of Aotearoa, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, Wellington Town Hall, 7.30pm, November 19.