ELISE BRADLEY (NZ)
Waiata o te Whenua
Songs of the land
S(S)A, 10-18y, level B
"Waiata or Wairua o te Whenua" means Songs or Spirits of the Land". Singing is beauty, it is imagination, it is the sharing of a common passion. And how better to appreciate this than by singing music from different lands and languages alongside others.
I am excited to explore songs with you beautiful songs from different lands - and to share music from composers with whom I have very close connections! We will learn a Maori waiata - with movement - from NZ, a special composition from the Pacific, a piece from the Middle East, a piece from Asia, a piece from Canada and a piece from Europe - all of which reflect the spirit of the songs of the land!
Elise Bradley
A passionate musician, award-winning conductor, and internationally respected adjudicator and clinician. She served for many years as the Head of Department Music at Westlake Girls’ High School in Auckland, where she founded the school's renowned treble choir, Key Cygnetures choir from 1992 - 2007, and directed the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir from 2001-2007, both of which won numerous national and international awards.
Elise repatriated home to New Zealand at the end of 2021, after 14 years as the Artistic Director of the Toronto Children's Chorus. In addition to her work as Artistic Director, Ms. Bradley received many invitations to conduct, adjudicate choirs, and present at conferences around the globe. Since her return to New Zealand, Elise had co-founded the company "Choral DirectioNZ", the New Zealand Children's Choral Academy, and has completed a number of Kodàly Music Certificates in preparation for her return to the primary music classroom as part of the Creatives in Schools initiatives. She currently co-conducts Aotearoa New Zealand's Aotearoa Academy Choir, is the Music Director of the NZCCA Senior Choir and Takapuna Grammar School's Leonessa, all of which won gold awards at the World Choir Games 2024 in Auckland.
Video
These videos give you some idea of my work with children's and youth choirs and the atmosphere of songs we will explore together (though maybe not these exact songs);
JONG, JONG INAI -Malaysian folksong - arr. Tracy Wong
TUDRA - Ola Gjeilo