Concert in the Church

All Saints Church at the top of Cowan Street in Ponsonby is a church I often go past or wait in front of for the bus but every so often there is a concert there and I take the opportunity of going in and enjoy not only the music but the architecture and atmosphere of the church, a Richard Toy church completed in 1958 and restored  in 2008. http://www.hbarchitecture.co.nz/all%20saints.html

Look at this for the history of the earlier church and the present church. http://www.allsaintsponsonby.org.nz/history/

The concert was at 5pm so it was already getting  dark and gloomy outside and the church was dimly lit inside too which added to the whare-type experience.The first three items by the One Voice  Choir were Maori songs and fitting openers to this evensong experience of song and music from around the world. 

The  director of the 25 member community choir, Olga Tarasenko is of Russian heritage so this celebration of music from around the world included songs from Bulgaria  and Macedonia as well as Israel, Italy and Bolivia.  http://www.onevoicechoir.org.nz

The choir members, dressed in black and red certainly were very accomplished and powerful singers and I came away uplifted and enriched again by another musical experience.