Sarah McMillan/cvnznews.com
New Zealand’s national choir for teenagers, the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir (NZSSC), turns 40 this year — and its alumni list reads like a who’s who of global vocal success.
Over four decades, the choir has launched the careers of some of the country’s most celebrated singers, including Grammy‑winning tenor Simon O’Neill (ONZM), internationally acclaimed bass‑baritone Professor Jonathan Lemalu (ONZM), and global opera star Pene Pati, who will receive a French knighthood in 2026.
Former King’s Singer Christopher Bruerton, sopranos Anna Leese Guidi and Madeline Pierard, baritone Benson Wilson, and renowned composer Igelese Ete also trace their roots back to NZSSC.
Even the 2026 Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest reflects the choir’s legacy, with a quarter of this year’s semi‑finalists — Sarah Mileham, Jack Doyle, and Holly Evans — all former NZSSC members.
To mark the 40th anniversary, the choir will perform at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland on 4 July, inviting alumni to join the stage for two shared pieces. The concert doubles as a farewell before the choir departs on its 17th international tour, performing at festivals in Singapore and Hong Kong.
The evening will be MC’d by Dr Igelese Ete, who sang in the very first NZSSC in 1986 before going on to work on major film scores including Lord of the Rings, Moana, and Tīna. His work on Tīna incorporated Samoan musical traditions — and reunited him with fellow NZSSC alumnus David Squire, the film’s choir director.
Alongside current Music Director Sue Densem, former director Elise Bradley will return to conduct the alumni chorus, bringing the choir’s past and present together in one milestone celebration.
Forty years on, NZSSC remains one of the country’s most successful artistic incubators — and this anniversary concert promises to show exactly why.
