Make Some Noise - choral music that matters

After a successful performance of Mozart’s classic Requiem in D Minor in May, Supertonic is back with a programme of contemporary choral music that matters. 

On the evening of Saturday 8 November, Supertonic will present Make Some Noise at the Lower Hutt Town Hall. This is the first time the choir has performed in the Hutt Valley, and they hope to see some new faces in the audience as they bring this programme of  meaningful music from around the world to the stage.  

Make Some Noise highlights issues of social justice, including indigenous, women’s and civil rights and climate action. The programme is rich and varied, from Katerina Gimon’s arrangement of AURORA’s Apple Tree, a Norwegian pop song addressing the urgency of the global climate crisis, to Robert T. Gibson’s arrangement of the gospel standard This Little Light of Mine. Oliassa by Malika Tirolien utilises an invented language to invoke a call from the ancestors, while Alex Vollant titles their piece Auass meaning “child” in the Innu language to honour the generation of elders who survived the Residential Schools in Canada. The impact of sexual harassment and assault on women is highlighted in MILCK’s I Can’t Keep Quiet  and Lillia Ruocco and Emmanuelle Ader’s Canzone rò curtiell’. Closer to home, Make Some Noise features a set of waiata in teo reo Māori to highlight the importance of indigenous voices in Aotearoa New Zealand, including Ngoi Pēwhairangi’s Whakarongo. This waiata-ā-ringa incorporates Ngoi Pēwhairangi’s beliefs and methodology on teaching te reo Māori.   

Led by co-Musical Director Virginie Pacheco, Supertonic offers Make Some Noise as an invitation to concert-goers to consider the causes that are important to them. In connecting with audiences through the striking and impactful works of the composers featured in this programme - by turns harmonious, raucous, gut-wrenching, resolute - the choir hopes to inspire those listening to make some noise in their own lives. 

Supertonic was formed in 2014 in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and strives to  push the boundaries of what choral music can be. The choir has performed concerts that cover the entire musical spectrum, from major classical works including Vaughan Williams' Mass in G Minor, Vivaldi's Gloria and Faure's Requiem to pop and rock spectaculars celebrating hits of the 70s, 80s and 90s from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John, Queen, and Celine Dion. The choir has performed alongside The Royal New Zealand Airforce Band, joined Brett McKenzie, the NZSO and The Muppets for the Jim Henson Retrospectacle,  shared the stage with Mama Kin Spender at Coastella, and performed in national civic commemorations, street festivals and at community events.