Artist description Musica Sacra is a mixed chamber choir of around 30 voices, based at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Auckland, New Zealand.

Music Style Choral singing

Musical Influences From Renaissance polyphony to Twenty-first century compsers

Artist History The choir was formed in November 1998 with a commitment to the highest standards of choral excellence, and it enjoys a growing reputation as one of New Zealand's foremost cultural assets. As the name implies, sacred music forms the greater part of the choir's repertoire, and the choir divides its time between both concerts and services in a variety of venues around the Auckland region and beyond.

Group Members Indra Hughes, Conductor

Instruments Voice, organ, chamber organ and ensemble, orchestra

Albums Christmas a cappella

Press Reviews "The number of people attending [Musica Sacra's] inaugural concert and the warmth of their response must be proof of the conductor's pulling power. . . an assured account of the old German carol In dulci jubilo . . . it was clear that everyone was enjoying themselves . . . there was a disciplined approach . . plenty of enthusiasm and joie de vivre." (Tara Werner in the New Zealand Herald, December 1998) "Musica Sacra . . . has gained a dedicated following already, as evidenced by a packed St Michael's Church on Saturday night. Scarlatti's complex Stabat Mater tested their discipline fully…..Allegri's famous Miserere received a sensitive interpretation . . ." (Tara Werner in the New Zealand Herald, March 1999) "Among the choir's strengths were upward leaps of pinpoint accuracy, entries that breathed their way in pianissimo, yet with clarity of articulation that revelled in the Town Hall's acoustics, and a big, full-throated sonority for the high points . . . " (Prof. Heath Lees in the New Zealand Herald, reviewing Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius in which Musica Sacra was the semi-chorus) A REAL TREAT FOR LOVERS OF FINE CHOIRS ". . . Indra Hughes is a choral director of great talent and this choir . . . is a superb ensemble. [The Victoria Requiem] offered ample evidence of the choir's precision, balance, homogeneity of sound and wonderful command of its austere idiom. One of the charming features of their style is their command of crescendos that allowed their voices to expand organically with the increasing volume of reverberation - one of the beauties, for some the problem - of the great church. Though they had only a short rehearsal time, the choir had speedily mastered the mysteries of the acoustic, turning it notably to their advantage, and they did everything else right, such as suppressing sibilants. Their singing had a wonderful clarity that allowed middle parts to emerge vividly as melody line, as in the attractive Magnificat by Hugh Blair that ended the concert. Its organ accompaniment was vividly played by choir member Woo-sug Kang. When the choir sang from the front of the sanctuary their sounds projected excellently. But after the fine flamboyance of the organ solo from Hughes - the Variations de Concert by Joseph Bonnet - the choir took up the choir stalls, facing each other, to sing William Harris's Faire is the Heaven: the sound was dissipated. One of the pleasures of the evening was the Annunciation by Auckland composer David Griffiths [the premiere of this work, written for Musica Sacra]: a setting of a challenging, dense, metaphysical poem by John Donne, Griffiths' masterly, suspenseful music elucidated it superbly." (Lindis Taylor in the Wellington Evening Post, reviewing a concert by Musica Sacra in St Paul's Cathedral, Wellington in November 2001) ". . . full-blooded and expressive . . . " (Rod Biss in the Sunday Star-Times) "Superb Christmas work in an English Choral Tradition . . . Musica Sacra is a choir of excellent voices . . . a fine CD . . . a particularly good soprano section, and the recording . . clear and unfussy." (Bryan James in the Otago Daily Times) ". . . a thrilling passion . . ." (William Dart in the Listener) ". . . an unusually good issue of Christmas music . . . superbly sung . . . Even if you already have a collection of Christmas recordings, don't pass this one by. It is one of the best I have heard, both in choice of carols and in quality of performance." (review by Christopher Moore) "Christmas Carol CDs don't come better than this. The Auckland unaccompanied 8-part chamber choir under Indra Hughes sing with such joy and vitality compared with the over-churchy aloofness of many carol recitals. Their opening track springs to life with such spontaneity and crisp energy. All is underpinned by fine choral technique and an ability to match style to period as in the fine account of two renaissance motets by Victoria. Hughes's repertoire selection balances old and new perfectly . . . fresh-sounding descants are finely floated by the sopranos . . . all recorded with warm reverberance." (Ian Dando in the Christchurch Press)

Location Auckland, Auckland - New Zealand

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