CONCERT TWO
FRENCH MASTERS
Requiem - G. Fauré
Te Deum - M.A. Charpentier
8th & 9th August 2026
Douglas Mews, our scheduled organist, is unfortunately not able to perform in Concert Two due to illness; we wish him a speedy recovery.
Dr Jonathan Dunlop has kindly agreed to provide cover.
Our second concert features the much-loved Requiem by Gabriel Fauré. A timeless classic and an eternal favourite of choirs and audiences alike, the Scholars are delighted to bring this cherished work from their library once again.
Previous performances of the Requiem by the Scholars have been described as “breathtaking and sublime”, and this year’s performance promises to deliver the same drama and serenity for which the work is so deeply loved.
Alongside it, the concert features Marc‑Antoine Charpentier’s radiant Te Deum, a hallmark of the French Baroque. Its orchestral brilliance and intricate choral writing offer a vivid contrast to the gentle intimacy of Fauré’s vision, capturing the splendour of 17th‑century France.
A richly expressive evening of French elegance, colour, and choral beauty.
Our Featured Artists
The Scholars Baroque Aotearoa will be led by conductor Chalium Poppy, joined by popular tenor soloist Iain Tetley and exceptional soloists from within the ensemble. The programme will be accompanied on the organ by distinguished Hamilton musician Jonathan Dunlop, renowned for his mastery of historic keyboard instruments and celebrated performances across New Zealand.
Dr Jonathan Dunlop
Jonathan Dunlop recently completed Doctoral studies at the University of Waikato with Katherine Austin and Dr Rachael Griffiths-Hughes. His research focusses on the pianist journey through a wide range of repertoire to find creative pedaling solutions in keyboard music from C.P.E. Bach through to the late Romantic composers such as Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Debussy. To complement his studies in this field, he plays a wide variety of historic keyboards which include the harpsichord, clavichord, organ and fortepiano.
Jonathan is an alumnus of the New Zealand Opera School, and most recently he has joined The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) team as a Performance Fellow at the University of Waikato.
Jonathan also works at St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton as organist and choir coach for the school’s choirs, drawing on years of experience in this discipline having directed choirs in South Auckland and Thames.
Iain Tetley
Iain developed his passion for singing in England, gaining his music degree at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Since coming to this side of the world, he has performed solo many times around New Zealand, and was a member of the specialist chamber choir Musica Sacra.
Career highlights include singing in an octet for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; as the Evangelist in Bach's St Matthew Passion with City Choir Dunedin, Bach Musica and Auckland Choral; as the Evangelist in Bach's St John Passion with City Choir Dunedin; and as the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with Auckland Choral. He has also sung solo in excerpts of Handel’s Solomon alongside world-renowned countertenor Andreas Scholl.
Iain’s degree specialised in Conducting, and he has directed several choirs, including South Auckland Choral, the Franklin Community Choir, and Cantorum. He combined three choirs, full orchestra and eight soloists to conduct the Auckland premiere of Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.
In 2018 Iain moved to Whanganui, where he has conducted Schola Sacra Choir since 2019. On stage, he performed as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in 2023, with Amdram Whanganui.
SINGERS WANTED
Tauranga’s Premier Chamber Choir are auditioning singers
The Scholars Baroque Aotearoa are a chamber choir dedicated to informed performances of period music (often baroque) with an emphasis on stylistic excellence and superior choral sound.
The Scholars have availability for ALTOS, TENORS and BASSES to join this year.
The choir seeks singers with previous choral experience. Although not a requirement, the ability to read music at sight is an asset.
The choir also offers several scholarships for all voices of $1,000 on an annual basis which are available to high school, polytechnic or university students. Scholarship recipients are expected to be pursuing some form of study in music (e.g. private tuition, secondary/tertiary study; voice or other instrument/s). This is a golden opportunity for good musicians who have fine voices, the commitment to be part of a close-knit team, and a desire to develop first class sight-reading skills.
For more information about the Scholars Baroque Aotearoa, please go to our Scholarships page.
To make further inquiries, arrange an audition, or for more information about choral scholarships, please contact the Artistic & Musical Director at scholars@scholarsbaroque.com
SCHOLARS BAROQUE AOTEAROA
“AN ASTONISHINGLY CONTEMPORARY CONFECTION OF RAPIDLY MOVING MELODIOUS BAROQUE MUSIC"