Sunday Afternoon Concert - Auckland Youth Choir

Thames Music Group is Proud to host the Auckland Youth Choir in the historic St Georges Church with excellent acoustics.
Join us for an engaging choral celebration featuring 120 of Auckland’s finest young singers. Auckland Youth Choir (AYC) will present an afternoon concert of music including its Gold-winning recital from the World Choir Games recently held in Auckland, and the North Island premiere of Elaine Hagenberg’s Illuminare.

AYC is a mixed-voice youth choir from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Established in 1984, this year AYC is celebrating 40 years of music making, presenting engaging and innovative performances for thousands of kiwis each year. The choir aspires for artistic excellence while offering young people a relaxed and welcoming environment to keep singing. AYC singers are aged 16–27 and are primarily university students and young people in the workforce from across the city.

The choir regularly collaborates with other arts and community organisations including Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland Town Hall Organ Trust, Auckland Youth Orchestra, MOTAT and St Matthew-in-the-City. In 2016, the choir was part of a world premiere of Paul Mealor’s music under the baton of Dr James Jordan in Carnegie Hall, New York City. In 2019, the choir won the choral section of the Australian International Music Festival and performed in the Sydney Opera House. In July 2024, the choir won a gold medal at the 13th World Choir Games held in Auckland.

AYC is proud to run a Development and Mentoring Project that provides developmental opportunities to budding conductors, pianists, composers and arts leaders. The choir commissions at least one new work from a member of the choir each year.

AYC is directed by David Squire. David was appointed Music Director at the end of 2022. He has been Music Director of the New Zealand Youth Choir since 2011 and is the first alumnus director of the choir. He also directs international award-winning ensembles Voicemale (Westlake Boys High School), Euphony (Kristin School), and the Westlake Symphony Orchestra. Current vice-chair of the New Zealand Association of Choral Directors, he is also a national conducting advisor and tutor, and served as a governance board member of the New Zealand Choral Federation for nine years. He is in demand around the world as a clinician, educator, guest conductor and adjudicator, and is the choral director for the International Schools Choral Music Society based in China.

Claire Caldwell is AYC’s Assistant Director and Pianist. Claire joined the AYC team at the beginning of 2023. For many years, she was the Performing Arts Manager and Director of Choral Music at Dilworth School where she curated the next generation of musical talent. She is now expanding that kaupapa in a newly created role as director of Musicatalyst, a studio and coaching programme established to allow access to the highest level of performance and learning environments. Claire has been privileged to work with the country’s finest operatic talent through her work at the University of Auckland, Dame Kiri te Kanawa Foundation, Auckland Opera Studio, New Zealand Aria Competition and New Zealand Opera. She is one of the country’s most sought-after accompanists working exclusively with singers and has recently taken the reins as Artistic Director of the Auckland Boys Choir.