World Choir Games in Aotea Arts Quarter

10 - 20 July 2024 | Aotea Centre and Auckland Town Hall

Hear the city sing with the Word Choir Games! Across 11 days, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will host the 13th World Choir Games, the world’s largest choir competition.

From 10 to 20 July, Auckland will host more than 11,000 singers, that’s over 250 choir groups, from 42 countries around the world to compete in this year’s global choral festival.

Established in 2000, the World Choir Games is renowned for its ability to bring together all nations and cultures in a joyful celebration of creativity, diversity, friendship and peace.

Taking place this month, singers from around the world will descend on Auckland for the ultimate celebration of choral music. The event includes a grand opening ceremony at Spark Arena, an Olympic-style parade of nations along Quay Street; nine celebration concerts, 15 workshops, interspersed with a fierce choral competition schedule for participating singers.

Aotea Arts Quarter will play a pivotal role in hosting some of the event’s most prestigious concerts, with Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland Town Hall, and The Civic coming alive with the sound of music.

RCP’s Head of Community and Strategic Engagement, Jack Bourke - an Opera singer himself - is delighted with the precinct hosting a diverse and joyous line up of choral celebrations.

“Aotea Arts Quarter has such a rich history in the performing arts sector and is a place that creative communities from near and abroad call home. It is wonderful to see our vibrant neighbourhood open its doors and share this legacy with the global singing community for such a momentous event.”

“The World Choir Games are truly of global scale - it’s the Olympics for singers. There will be such an incredible display of talent, diversity and musical maestros, so I encourage everyone to come and enjoy at least one of the celebration concerts for this once in a lifetime event.” Jack said.

Here’s a lineup of some of the must-see performances hosted here in the Aotea Arts Quarter for World Choir Games:

A NIGHT OF SONG AND DANCE

AOTEA CENTRE – KIRI TE KANAWA THEATRE

FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2024 at 7:30pm

THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2024 at 7:30pm

Two magical evenings featuring the power and passion of kapa haka and the lyrical beauty of choral music. Each concert, held in conjunction with and supported by Te Matatini, will begin with a spellbinding performance from one of Auckland’s, and indeed Aotearoa’s, most celebrated kapa haka rōpū.

A CHORAL KALEIDOSCOPE

AUCKLAND TOWN HALL – GREAT HALL

THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2024 at 7:30pm

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2024 at 7:30pm

Concert One features the acclaimed Graduate Choir from New Zealand and the exciting Delaware Choral Scholars from the USA. They will be joined by two equal-voice groups, the smooth-toned Festival Statesmen from Australia and Ungklang, an entertaining young Danish ensemble who like to shake things up!

Concert Two features a showcase of two mixed-voice choirs that are quite different in nature: the passionate Swiss consonus cokal ensemble and the much-awarded University of Oregon Chamber Choir from the USA. Fine local choir Paradisum from Epsom Girls' Grammar School continues the attractive line-up, with an additional top international choir ByeZoo Choir from Beijing.

PACIFIC SPIRIT

AUCKLAND TOWN HALL – GREAT HALL

SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2024 at 5pm

Celebrating the harmonious songs, vibrant dances and epic storytelling of the island nations of Aotearoa’s Pacific communities. Pacific Spirit features heritage and contemporary Pacific performing arts performed by intergenerational artists and curated by the creative powerhouse Pacific Underground, Aotearoa’s longest running Pacific performing arts collective.

FRIENDSHIP CONCERT AND BATTLE CHORUS

THE CIVIC

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2024 4pm and 7.30pm

Friendship concerts are taking place all over Tāmaki Makaurau, as part of the 2024 World Choir Games! Choirs from around the world share their songs with the local community. Free, informal and fun, each hour-long concert features three or four choirs singing a diverse range of musical styles in intimate and beautiful settings.

Discover the enchantment of The Civic, where history meets modernity, and every event is a masterpiece in the making. Choirs that will be performing at this Friendship Concert:

• Wizard Children's Choir

• Dunedin Children's Choir - Chamber Choir

• "Music is Love" Children's Philharmonic Choir

• DC Junior Choir

After attending the Friendship Concert in The Civic Foyer at 4pm, stick around for the rare opportunity to sing your heart out on The Civic stage. Two of New Zealand's musical theatre heavyweights will split the audience and each lead a team in an epic sing-off battle of voices.

To learn more visit the World Choir Games website or Auckland Live's dedicated page.