CHAPEL A new waiata, a taonga for all
Thanks to a generous gift from the Rolleston family, College was able to commission a new waiata for the Chapel Choir, and “Whakamanawa Ki Te Atua” debuted at a special ceremony in Chapel late last year.
The contemporary waiata, which captures the Christian message of the Christmas season but has universal appeal, was presented to College by its composers, the Puanaki whanau. Director of Music Robert Aburn says he had a vision for a waiata that would become part of College’s kaupapa and recognise the spirit and heritage of College as an inclusive community. To make it happen he turned once again to the Puanaki whanau, confident they would capture the spirit of the brief
“ We had an instant connection with the Puanaki whanau, who immediately understood what we wanted to achieve. ” Robert Aburn
and create something wonderful after engaging them to compose College’s first waiata “Te Whakapono Ki Te Atua” in 2017. “The choir has always had waiata in its repertoire, but nothing we could call our own – until we were gifted these two works. We had an instant connection with the
Puanaki whanau, who immediately understood what we wanted to achieve at College. Tihi, Wiremu and Te Huaki have been the ideal educators for us and it has been a great pleasure to have them working with us and alongside us on this journey,” says Robert.
Christ’s College Canterbury
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