Hitting the right notes in NZ’s southern churches

9 Dunedin concert

by JEFF DILLON

In mid-December, St Joseph’s cathedral in Dunedin resounded to soaring voices and orchestral instruments as the visiting Sydney based choir and ensemble, Artes Christi, performed F. J. Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai at an early afternoon Mass.

The group, consisting of 16 singers and an orchestral ensemble of eight (two violins, one viola, two cellos, two oboes and organist) plus conductor, Eugene Raggio, and the Artes Christi president, Anthony McCarthy, were on a short five-day tour of a selected southern area of the South Island. Also touring with them was Fr Bill Milsted from St Peter’s Church at Surry Hills in Sydney, where the group is based. The group had several aims to achieve on their tour.

Their seven performance tour included four Masses and three sessions of carols. December, 2018, marked a hundred years since the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was formalised at Kings College, Cambridge, in England as a prayer for peace at the end of WWI. In recognition of that centenary, the three carol services were performed in Timaru (Sacred Heart Basilica), Queenstown (St Joseph’s church), and Alexandra (St John the Baptist church).

Mass was celebrated each day by Fr Milsted. First in Christchurch, the day after their arrival in New Zealand, at St Mary’s pro-cathedral. The following day at St Joseph’s cathedral in Dunedin. The next day was in St Joseph’s church in Queenstown, while on their final full day Mass was celebrated in St Patrick’s church in Arrowtown. At the last two Masses, the group performed the same F.J. Haydn Mass.

Their tour, however, was also recognising another significant centenary. December 10th marked 100 years since the death of the famous New Zealand-born architect, Francis W. Petre, who, during his lifetime, designed more than 50 churches, chapels and cathedrals through this country.

Thus the tour took in visits and performances at a number of well-known examples of his architecture. Before getting to Dunedin, the group had been to Petre-designed basilicas at Timaru, Waimate and Oamaru. Then, prior to arriving at St Joseph’s cathedral, the group had taken in a visit to St Mary Star of the Sea church in Port Chalmers as a smaller example of his art. Following the cathedral performance, the group looked in at the neighbouring former Dominican chapel. Then a quick visit to St Patrick’s basilica in South Dunedin was fitted into their busy schedule.

On the Central Otago leg of the tour, they visited the Petre-designed church of Our Lady and the Irish Martyrs in Cromwell and performed twice in St Joseph’s church in Queenstown, which was also designed by him.

Formally established in 2005, Artes Christi’s mission is “to seek the Face of Christ through the arts”. Therefore their tour of Petre-inspired places of worship and their musical performances leading up to Christmas tied in with that stated mission perfectly.

Besides aiding the build up to Christmas, there was also a very practical purpose involved in their tour. They were taking donations in support of the Christchurch Diocese Earthquake Appeal and were very aware that ten Catholic churches had been destroyed in the 2010/2011 earthquake sequence.

Mr McCarthy said that by the end of their tour they had performed to a total combined audience of about 1000 people at their performances and had raised over $2000 for the appeal.

 

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