About us
Luminata Voices Women's Chamber Choir is a new high-calibre women's choir based in Auckland. Through the avenue of beautiful choral music, we want to create an opportunity for the light of women to shine bright, and to share our talents with the world.
We aim to perform women’s choral repertoire to a high standard, to commission new works for women’s choir, to make recordings of women’s choir repertoire, to continue being one of New Zealand’s leading women’s choirs, and to tour overseas.
The choir is auditioned, and many of our singers have sung with professional-level ensembles such as Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir.
Our ensemble is project-based. With a project lasting around 10 or so weeks, singers can choose which projects they are involved in. We believe it is important to create this flexible environment for women, so they know that they can be part of excellence and also be everything else they need and want to be.
The singers from Luminata Voices are available to perform for private and corporate events, in a wide range of genres and we are flexible in size configuration.
We are grateful to our funders, sponsors, supporters and everyone who has helped us so far. Please contact us if you are interested to sponsor or partner with Luminata Voices. We are an incorporated society with a charitable purpose.
Auditions for new singers will take place periodically - find out more and register your interest here, or keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.
What People Are Saying
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Beautiful tones and harmonies, a great and varied repertoire, and the karanga was very special.
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— MICHELLE K.
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I can still remember the very first notes which made the space St Matthews in the City come alive with a tremulous ethereal energy.
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— Andrew M.
Meet the Team
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Vanessa Kay
Musical Director
Vanessa Kay is the musical director of Luminata Voices as well as the senior choirs at St Mary’s College in Auckland. She is also the choral director of North Shore Youth Music which includes Con Brio Choir, the North Shore Children's Choir and Songsters. She completed a BMus(Hons) in Conducting and Musicology at the University of Auckland, a Postgraduate Diploma of Secondary Teaching at Dunedin College of Education and in 2020 she completed her MMus in Conducting with Dr Karen Grylls (ONZM). She has previously been a music teacher and choral conductor at both Westlake Boys and Westlake Girls High Schools, and is currently a music specialist at Murrays Bay Primary. Vanessa served on the Auckland committee of the New Zealand Choral Federation for six years and has been an adjudicator at The Kids Sing and the Sing Down Under Festival. Along with her many musical commitments, she is mum to three busy children and a supportive wife to her husband David, an orchestral conductor and musician.
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Dr Karen Grylls ONZM
Patron
Karen Grylls ONZM is Associate Professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Auckland. She conducted the New Zealand Youth Choir from 1989 to 2011, founded Voices NZ in 1998 and is currently Artistic Director of three internationally acclaimed national choirs: these two and the NZ Secondary Student’s choir. From 2011 to 2013, Karen was also Artistic Director of Toronto’s Exultate Chamber Choir She received an Auckland University Distinguished Teaching Award in Music (1996), and an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for her services to choral music (1999). She is also the recipient of two national citations for services to New Zealand music.
At the University of Auckland, Karen has established a postgraduate pathway in Conducting at the Masters and Doctoral level. Students from the university are regularly accepted into overseas courses of study and have successfully taken on high-level conducting positions specifically with the national choirs in New Zealand. Many prize-winning conductors from The Big Sing have studied with her.
Karen is much in demand as an adjudicator for competitions and festivals worldwide,
most recently in Tokyo, Bali and Taipei, the 48th International competition in Tolosa, and the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition, Bavaria. She is sought internationally as a choral clinician and regularly conducts masterclasses and workshops in Wales, England, North America, Canada, Singapore and Australia. Since the outbreak of the pandemic online lecture appearances have included the Sydney International Series (Gondwana), Toronto, Los Angeles, Boston and Montreal. She was also regional presenter at the online World Choir Council meeting in March and recently appointed to the NZCF Governance Board. -
Sarah Getz
Administrator
Sarah is our administrator extraordinaire. Her professional background has been in Human Resources and also managing a High Schools assembly programme tour named the Revolution Tour.
As a singer herself, she thoroughly enjoys singing as a member of Harbour Voices choir. -
Cathy Bennett
Pianist
Cathy Bennett is a pianist and teacher based in Auckland. She is in demand as a teacher and accompanist, and enjoys her collaboration with the Westlake Music Programme, and in particular with the Cantare and Choralation choirs. Cathy has worked as an accompanist for the University of Auckland School of Music, and also for the New Zealand Singing School. Cathy has been working with Big Sing Finale Choirs for a number of years. As well as enjoying working with singers and choirs, she has a particular interest in working with string players. She teaches at Kristin School and at St Cuthbert’s College and has a busy private teaching studio.
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Rachel Song
Pianist
Rachel Song is a South Korean-born New Zealand pianist who completed her MMus in classical piano performance at the University of Auckland. She received numerous awards and scholarships during her tertiary studies and has participated in various music festivals and competitions including ROSL, Wallace International music festival, Gisborne International music competition and Lee University International Piano Festival. As a dedicated collaborative pianist, she has performed extensively throughout New Zealand with various ensembles and choirs. She has built a unique connection with the North Shore Youth Music with director Vanessa Kay since 2009. As well as being a performer, she is a passionate and experienced music teacher and has been teaching privately and in institutions for over 10 years producing outstanding
students.
“When I sing, trouble can sit on my right shoulder and I don’t even notice.”
— Sarah Vaughan