Paul Mealor has been described as ‘the most important composer to have emerged in Welsh choral music since William Mathias’ (New York Times, 2001), reaching international fame when his Motet, Ubi Caritas, was performed during the Royal Wedding Ceremony of His Royal Highness Prince William and Catherine Middleton (now TRH The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge) at Westminster Abbey.
Paul Mealor will be visiting Auckland prior to the Auckland Youth Choir’s concert featuring his Symphony No. 1 “Passiontide” a unique choral symphony beginning with his Stabat Mater and moving in to the Crucifixus. It is a musical response to the Easter story and Mealor worked on it for 20 years prior to it’s premiere in 2015. The Auckland Youth Choir is delighted to have Mealor join us in Auckland to workshop this piece prior to the concert.
Paul Mealor will also be speaking before in a pre-concert event about the piece, and about Music and Spirituality for Premium ticket holders. As a Professor of Composition at the University of Aberdeen, this promises to be an insightful talk perfectly framing, and giving context to the following performance of his Symphony.
In February, 2016 Auckland Youth Choir travelled to New York to workshop Paul Mealor’s Stabat Mater and Jubilate Deo. As part of DCINY’s Mozart, Mealor, Martin: Music of Joy and Sorrow concert program the choir then performed the works in Carnegie Hall, New York. Paul Mealor was a pleasure to work with on this trip and the choir is very excited to have the opportunity to work with him again.
MEALOR: Symphony No.1 ‘Passiontide’ is brought to you by Fee Langstone and will be the New Zealand premiere of the piece. Paul’s visit is generously sponsored by our friends at Tour Time. The choir will be performing with the Wallace Foundation’s Youth Chamber Orchestra and emerging soloist’s Carla Camilleri and Tavis Gravatt.
