The 17-year-old Trinity Catholic College tenor is a member of the 2025-26 New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir (NZSSC), which is filled with the country’s most active and committed young singers.
Because of that commitment, it has a history of high achievement, including winning the prestigious Children’s Choir of the World Award at the 2022 Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales.
So Joseph has been putting his vocal cords through the wringer in Christchurch this week to make sure he is up to scratch for a short concert tour of Christchurch, Oamaru and Dunedin this weekend.
‘‘We were told this from day one. We went in, we knew that the name NZSSC was a big name and we obviously want to live up to that.
‘‘So coming into rehearsal every day, we’re motivated to give it our all, every minute we have, because we don’t have much time in these week-long courses to learn the concert repertoire.
‘‘The amount of languages we’re learning, the amount of stuff we’re focusing on throughout the week, the different vocal techniques we’re being taught, all the information we’re absorbing from our wonderful tutors — yeah, there’s massive pressure to soak all that in and perform it all very, very well.
‘‘It’s pretty hardcore. Very intense.’’
Joseph said he was from a family of singers, and he had been a classical singer since he was 5.
‘‘I’m quite a busy person, so I practise anywhere I can find ... the car — the shower is a great place to do that because I’m not really doing anything else.’’
He was particularly excited about singing in front of a home crowd when the choir came to Dunedin.
‘‘This is our first Dunedin concert, so I’m very, very excited. Quite nerve-racking, but exciting.’’
Joseph will be joined by fellow Dunedin choristers John McGlashan College tenor Tim Stevens and Otago Girls’ High School soprano Ava Schaumann.
They are among about 60 13 to 18-year-olds who were selected by audition for the two-year membership.
They gather each school holiday for a week of rehearsals and concerts throughout the country, culminating in a tour to an international choir festival or competition.
This year the choir will celebrate its 40th birthday, and will tour Asia in July, something Joseph is also very excited about.
The choir will give a concert in Christchurch tomorrow, at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, before giving further concerts at St Patrick’s Basilica, in Oamaru, at 2.30pm on Saturday, and St Paul’s Cathedral, Dunedin, at 7.30pm on Sunday.
The choir, described on its website as having ‘‘infectious joy for music-making’’, will present a wide range of music, from classical choral to gospel, jazz and modern, plus waiata from Aotearoa and the Pacific.
