Songs of Farewell

Join Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble in collaboration with St Matthew’s Voices and Austellus Vocal Ensemble for 'Songs of Farewell', a concert of a cappella choral music set against the stunning backdrop of St. Matthew-in-the-City.

Each of these Auckland-based vocal ensembles will present a range of works from composers including Elgar, Sullivan, Des Prez, and Billy Joel before joining together under the direction of Blake Scanlen for Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell. These six motets, deeply influenced by English renaissance madrigals and partsongs, are often described as a summation of Parry’s compositional life and have been called ‘some of the profoundest a cappella literature of the late Romantic era’. From solemn and contemplative to blazing and furious, the Songs of Farewell are not only a response to the devastation of war but a personal plea for salvation and rest.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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Adult $30 | Concession (Unwaged/Student/Retired) $20 | Child under 10 FREE

Purchase tickets through Humanitix or buy at the door (cash only or bank transfer).

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Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble (est. 2021) is a group of old friends and new faces brought together by a love for choral music. The ensemble performs several times a year across Tāmaki Makaurau and has previously presented repertoire ranging from Byrd and Victoria to Alex Taylor and Meredith Monk.

The St Matthew's Voices are an SATB quartet who lead the music every Sunday morning for Eucharist at St Matthew-in-the-City. During festivals and special occasions they augment to an octet to sing masses and other large scale works. Their musical director and organist is Nicholas Forbes. 

Formed in 2023, Austellus Vocal Ensemble is a Tāmaki Makaurau-based ensemble comprising some of New Zealand’s best young choral singers. Flexible in size and with an emphasis on one-per-part singing, its repertoire spans the Renaissance to the contemporary. 

Blake Scanlen (Artistic Director) is a bass-baritone, conductor, and composer from Tāmaki Makaurau. He currently performs with Voices NZ, NZ Youth Choir, Auckland Chamber Choir, Austellus Vocal Ensemble, and St Matthew’s Voices as well as various solo engagements with local community choirs. Blake is currently the Artistic Director of Neotectonic Vocal Ensemble and teaches music and English at Westlake Boys High School.