Beethoven's Mastery: Mass in C, is a celebration of one of the most iconic composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven. Featuring organist Jeremy Woodside and the Pathetique Sonata with young scholar David Jiang on piano, the concert brings together two distinct but equally powerful works by Beethoven.

Composed in 1807-1808, the Mass in C (Op. 86) is one of Beethoven's early sacred choral compositions. Written at a time when he was developing his distinctive style, it demonstrates his ability to blend classical forms with emotional depth and innovative techniques. The Mass was commissioned by the Austrian archbishop Joseph Franz Maximilian for the consecration of a church, but it was not performed until several years later, in 1814. Despite its initial lack of success, the work has gained recognition as a masterful contribution to the sacred choral repertoire.

The Mass in C is known for its grandeur and intricate vocal writing, making it a thrilling and challenging piece for any chamber choir. One of its highlights is the Gloria, which exudes both exuberance and complexity, with rapid contrapuntal sections that give the choir a chance to display their technical mastery. The Credo, a declaration of faith, is marked by its dramatic contrasts, from the solemn to the triumphant, showcasing Beethoven's ability to balance both intimate and monumental moments within the same work.

What makes this work particularly rewarding to sing in a chamber choir is the combination of technical challenge and emotional expression. The choir must navigate Beethoven’s intricate harmonies and rhythms, which demand precision and an understanding of his unique approach to vocal texture. The choir’s ability to balance these elements, especially in the Gloria and Credo, is what brings this work to life, making it a truly fulfilling experience for both the singers and the audience. The organ, played by Jeremy Woodside in this performance, supports and enhances the choral lines, adding depth to the overall sound and further highlighting the emotional power of Beethoven’s music.

Pathetique Sonata

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as the Pathetique Sonata, was composed in 1798-1799 and premiered in 1800. One of Beethoven’s most famous piano works, the sonata is renowned for its emotional intensity, which was revolutionary for its time. The Pathetique stands out as an example of Beethoven’s ability to blend dramatic contrasts in the classical sonata form, infusing the work with a profound sense of melancholy and grandeur.

The sonata's first movement, Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio, begins with a slow, mournful introduction that leads into a vigorous and stormy Allegro section. The second movement, Adagio cantabile, is lyrical and tender, offering a stark contrast to the intensity of the first. The final movement, Rondo: Allegro, brings a return to vigorous activity, concluding with a sense of resolution.

For David Jiang, our very own choral scholar performing the Pathetique Sonata on piano, this piece represents a unique opportunity to engage with Beethoven’s deep emotional complexity. The sonata’s sweeping melodic lines and dramatic contrasts are challenging and provide a platform for any young pianist to demonstrate their technical skill and musical maturity.

Bringing Beethoven’s Mastery to Life

This concert offers a rich and diverse experience, with the combination of organ, piano, and choir bringing Beethoven’s music to life in dynamic ways. The Mass in C provides a unique opportunity for the chamber choir to demonstrate their technical skill and emotional connection to Beethoven’s sacred music. Each section of the Mass, from the contrapuntal Gloria to the expressive Credo, challenges the choir to balance precision with emotional expression, making it a deeply fulfilling piece to perform.

David Jiang’s performance of the Pathetique Sonata adds a contrasting yet complementary element to the concert. This piano work’s dramatic intensity and lyrical moments create a powerful contrast with the choral work, offering the audience a full range of Beethoven’s emotional depth. The concert promises to leave a lasting impression, as the audience experiences the extraordinary technical mastery and profound emotional resonance that defines Beethoven’s music. 

FEATURED MUSICIANS

Jeremy Woodside | ORGAN

JEREMY WOODSIDE Jeremy was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and his musical life began as a chorister at ChristChurch Cathedral; he was later Assistant Organist.  He has held organ scholarships at Wells Cathedral and Westminster Abbey and has directed and accompanied many choral societies and choirs.

In 2011, Jeremy directed the Cathedral Choir for the National Memorial Service in Hagley Park following the February earthquakes, in the presence of HRH Prince William.  He also gave a number of solo recitals throughout Europe to raise money for the cathedral’s appeal and has released three solo CDs on the ChristChurch Cathedral organ.

Jeremy graduated as a Bachelor of Music (First Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury, and while there was awarded the Lilburn Prize for composition and Madrigal Prize for Excellence in Vocal Music.  Later he completed a Masters in Organ Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.  In August 2013, he gave the inaugural recital at the Transitional Cathedral in Christchurch.

His organ tutors have included Daniel Moult, Thomas Trotter and David Briggs, and Jeremy gained his Fellowship in Organ Performance from Trinity College, London in 2009, and holds an Associate Diploma from the Royal College of Organists.  As a recitalist/accompanist, he has performed in many major UK cathedrals, St George’s Chapel Windsor, Malvern Priory, St Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney, Notre-Dame in Paris, as part of the International Organ Summer Festival in Rome, Esplanade Singapore as part of Tapestry: a festival of sacred music, and the Musikverein in Vienna.

From September 2015 – March 2018 Jeremy was Head of Keyboard and Organist at Repton School.

Jeremy regularly performs with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, both as a soloist, choir accompanist, and orchestral player.  He is an active composer with various pieces being published by the RSCM, SOUNZ and Crescendo Music Publications in Melbourne, Australia, is the Director of Music at Knox Church in Christchurch, and a repetiteur for Toi Toi Opera and Showbiz Christchurch.

DAVID JIANG Originally from China, David began his classical music training in piano at a young age and has continued his studies in New Zealand. Now 18 and a student at Bethlehem College, he has achieved ABRSM Grade 8 Piano with Distinction and is currently preparing for his LRSM Piano Diploma.

David is a two-time Rising Star finalist and has participated in numerous competitions, winning multiple awards, including the Regional BOP High School Chamber Music Competition. In addition to piano, he has completed Trinity Grade 7 Singing and enjoys exploring vocal performance as well.

He is currently a member of the Scholars Baroque Chamber Choir, where he performs regularly and continues to develop as both a solo and ensemble musician.

SOLOISTS

Elizabeth Mandeno

Elizabeth Mandeno is a former Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist and Freemasons Opera Artist with New Zealand Opera. She studied with Dennis O'Neill and Nuccia Focile at the Wales International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, where she received an MA with Distinction in Advanced Vocal Studies. She has performed as a soloist alongside Dame Felicity Lott and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as well as with many choirs, orchestras, and opera companies around New Zealand including Auckland Choral, Bach Musica, Days Bay Opera, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Elizabeth has also performed and workshopped numerous new pieces by up and coming and established New Zealand composers at the CANZ Composers' Workshop in Nelson, the University of Auckland, the University of Waikato, Opera Factory, and New Zealand Opera.  In 2019 Elizabeth won first prize in the Lockwood New Zealand Aria, sponsored by the Dame Malvina Major Foundation.

Notable opera and concert performances include Elisa: Il Re Pastore, Amina: La Sonnambula (Days Bay Opera), Brahms Requiem (Christchurch City Choir/CSO), Handel's Messiah (City Choir Dunedin/DSO, Auckland Choral, Christchurch City Choir/CSO), St Matthew Passion, Bach Magnificat, Bach B Minor Mass (Bach Musica NZ), Cleopatra: Giulio Cesare, Josabeth: Athalia (Handel Consort and Quire NZ), Haydn's Creation (NZ Choral Federation North Island Tour), Beethoven’s Fantasia in C (Auckland Choral), Jane Kendall: This Other Eden by Anthony Ritchie (Opera Otago, world premiere).

Iain Tetley

Iain Tetley developed his passion for singing in England, gaining his music degree at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Since coming to New Zealand, he has performed solo many times with Auckland's leading choirs, and was a member of the specialist chamber choir Musica Sacra for fifteen years.

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, Cantorum and Cantando (Hamilton). Amongst many concerts as conductor, he has combined three choirs, full orchestra and eight soloists in Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, conducted Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and concerts of opera choruses and 1930s swing music.

In 2018 Iain moved to Whanganui, where he has conducted Schola Sacra Choir since 2019, and the Whanganui Collegiate School Chapel Choir from 2021 to 2024. On stage, he performed with Amdram Whanganui as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera in 2023, and as Mr Bumble in Oliver! last year.

Samuel McKeever

Hastings-born baritone, Samuel McKeever is a 2024/2025 artist at TANZOS (Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio) supported by the Freemasons Foundation. Prior to this, he was a Project Prima Volta graduate and alumnus of the NZ Opera School. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Classical Performance with First Class Honours at Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music in 2021.

In 2024 Samuel was selected for the Lexus Song Quest, and in 2023 he was the winner of the Wellington Aria Competition.

Samuel's stage history includes the title role in Gianni Schicchi (Festival Opera 2025), Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette (FO 2024), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (FO/NZSO, 2023), Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen (FO 2022), and Marchese d'Obigny in La traviata (Wellington Opera 2022). He also understudied as Angelotti in Wellington Opera's Tosca (2024) and Enrico in the same company's Lucia di Lammermoor (2023)

In December 2024, Samuel was the baritone soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Other concert highlights include Messiah for the Christchurch City Choir and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (2024), Verdi's Requiem (Napier Civic Choir 2023), and Handel's Samson (Bach Musica NZ 2022).

SINGERS WANTED

Tauranga’s Premiere 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 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