Photo: Supplied
Rowan Johnston is very well-known in choral circles in New Zealand both as a choir member, and as one of our top choral conductors.
Rowan Johnston Photo: Supplied
He’s sung in Voices NZ, he’s Director of Music at Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, he conducts Choralation (the combined choir of Westlake Boys and Westlake Girls High Schools), and is also in demand as a coach for choral conductors.
Rowan was appointed Musical Director of the Auckland Youth Choir earlier this year, and finally gets the chance to perform with them on Thursday 10 December.
The concert's titled The Final Frontier and includes three works composed by choir members.
Upbeat spoke with Rowan about the upcoming concert, life as a choral conductor in Covid times, and why he's passionate about choral singing.
Rowan says it's the ability to tell stories, and the ability to communicate a collective idea as a group.
He says, “For me there’s nothing more powerful than a group of people communicating a text with the same intent... and seeing a reaction from an audience to understand that you have thought about that text”.
The Final Frontier
Auckland Youth Choir, Rowan Johnston (dir), Juan Kim (pianist)
8pm, Thursday 10 December
St Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland
