Celebrate Christmas with Octavius

Octavius choir will present two performances of its Christmas concert this year – one at All Saints, Taradale and the other in St. Luke’s Church, Havelock North. The need for a second concert became obvious when, at the choir’s last concert in the Octagon at All Saints, Taradale, the rush of people wanting to attend resulted in the church running out of chairs to squeeze into the venue, and latecomers having to stand for the entire concert!

Octavius is a Napier-based choir which specialises in performing music in intricate 8-part harmonies. The group has 10 members, all residents of Napier and Havelock North and experienced singers who simply love to sing. Octavius gave its first concert in November 2017 at All Saints’ and has performed to full houses there twice in 2018 and again in August this year. The choir has sung only once before in Havelock North; in 2018 they collaborated with Iona College to present a show entitled “Shakespeare As We Like It” in the Blyth auditorium at the school. This event was a great success, with the reviewer describing it in Hawke’s Bay Today as “a unique evening’s entertainment.”

The programme for this year’s Christmas concerts will also be unique and entertaining, featuring festive songs in both traditional and modern arrangements, The list includes the Wassail Song, arranged by Vaughan Williams, The Very Best Time of Year and I Wish you Christmas by John Rutter, and a number of jazzy arrangements by Kirby Shaw, including Swingin’ At Santa’s Place, Jingle Bells, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

A lively selection of songs arranged by Peter Gritton includes Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Follow that Star, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and The Christmas Song. Particular highlights will be Away in a Manger with choir member Chris Atkinson accompanying on cello, and the “Eartha Kitt” style Santa Baby, featuring one of the female choristers in the seductive solos!

The choir will be led by their Musical Director, Anthony Tattersall, who is also the Director of Music at Waiapu Cathedral, Napier and recently conducted a 100-strong all-comers choir for a very successful Messiah sing-in.