Karen Grylls, Author at The IFCM Magazine

Karen Grylls

ONZM, Associate Head of Undergraduate Studies, Associate-Professor in Conducting and Head of Choral Studies at the University of Auckland, directed the Auckland Dorian Choir (1985-1998), assumed the position of Musical Director of TOWER NZ Youth Choir in 1989, and founded TOWER Voices NZ in March 1998. In addition to being the current Musical Director of both of these national choirs Karen also conducts the Chamber Choir at the University of Auckland and directs courses in choral ensemble skills. A graduate of both Otago and Auckland Universities, Karen studied postgraduate Conducting and Music Theory at the University of Washington, Seattle where she studied for four years with Professors John Rahn, Abraham Kaplan, and Joan Catoni-Conlon. In 1985,
she returned to NZ to teach at the University of Auckland and take up the directorship of the Auckland Dorian Choir. In August 2011, Voices NZ Chamber Choir was chosen to represent New Zealand at the 9th World Choral Symposium in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Karen is much in demand as a choral clinician and has many CD recordings to her credit. Invitations to adjudicate have taken her to Australia, Singapore, Tolosa, Hong Kong, Gorizia and Xiamen. In 1996, the university honoured her with a Distinguished Teaching Award in Music, and in 1999, she received a New Year’s Honour ONZM for her
services to choral music. She was awarded the KBB Citation for Services to NZ music from the Composers’ Association of NZ and the Lilburn Trust Award. TOWER Voices CD “Spirit of the Land” took the 2006 Tui Award for “Best Classical Album”. E-mail: k.grylls@auckland.ac.nz

New Zealand’s National Choirs

By: Karen Grylls

On: October 15, 2011

In: Focus

With: 0 Comments

By Karen Grylls, Choral Conductor and Teacher

National choirs[1] have played a large part in establishing New Zealand’s profile abroad, both in the commissioning of new works from co…Read More →

Composers in New Zealand

By: Karen Grylls

On: October 15, 2011

In: Focus

With: 0 Comments

By Karen Grylls, Choral Conductor and Teacher

Alfred Hill (1869-1960), born in Melbourne and educated at the Leipzig Conservatory of Music, was one of the most influential musicians in New Zealand and Australia in the l…Read More →