The highlight of the choir’s ‘‘Rutterly Glorious’’ concert, to be held this Saturday night, from 7pm at St Paul’s Cathedral, will be Rutter’s Gloria — an exuberant three-movement setting of the Latin Gloria.
The concert will be conducted by Southern Youth Choir musical director John Buchanan, who said Cantores Choir was going from strength to strength.
‘‘The choir have had a great start to the year with 80 members singing up — a far cry from the 20 members of 2021,’’ Buchanan said.
‘‘They are singing so well and having so many young voices from the university and local secondary schools, they make a wonderful sound.’’
Buchanan said it was exciting for the choir to be performing Rutter’s Gloria, which had not been heard in Dunedin for many years.
The orchestration for the work included four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, percussion, timpani and organ, alongside the voices of the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra and brass bands around the city.
With Dunedin City Organist David Burchell joining the instrumentalists on the St Paul’s Cathedral organ, the sound would be ‘‘stunning’’, Buchanan said.
Because of the musical forces available, the Cantores Choir performance would also feature the coronation anthem I Was Glad by Hubert Parry.
In addition, two choir members, accompanist Sage Pettus (piano) and Aubane Farcy (violin) will present an instrumental item.
The programme will also feature unaccompanied works by the main choir, a new work by one of the choir members and works by Charles Stanford and Benjamin Britten, and a chamber choir will perform two Britten works to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.
Student conductors will also lead several items during the concert, alongside Buchanan.
