Performers previously presented in St Georges Church through Thames Music Group
Will Martin
Talented performers presented in Concerts in St Georges Church have ranged from International stars like WILL MARTIN (pictured above December 2020) to other local, seasoned and well travelled performers like many more below....................
2021 James Langabeer Quartet
Jim Langabeer started out playing music as a teenager with top rock groups including The Keil Isles and The Kavaliers and in the 1960s moved into the jazz scene, playing ground-breaking modern jazz with Ted Meager and Paul Dyne. A teacher, composer, performer and arranger, Jim has a Master of Music degree and has played with a number of international artists and groups including the Russ Garcia Orchestra, The Temptations, and Sammy Davis Junior. In 1984, he studied at the Creative Music Studio in New York with Dave Liebman, Roswell Rudd, Baba Olatunji, and Jaco Pastorius and has performed in New York with bass player Gary Peacock. Jim founded Superbrew in the 1980s, recording the classic album ‘Africa/Aroha’ in 1987. In 1996 he released ‘One Way Ticket’, and ‘Now I Know You’, and more recently 'Secret Islands’. He continues to play saxophones, and record, with several Auckland groups. -International Saxophone player on Alto Sax and Flute: with Nicola Haddock on Bass Sax; Lukas Fritsch - Alto and Soprano Sax; Markus Fritsch - Tenor Sax; 
2021: Alison Shannon
Alison’s music studies began at an early age with piano lessons at St Joseph’s Convent in Te Aroha. Her interest in organ began after leaving high school, when she went to a concert by Dutch organist Bernard Bartelink in Rotorua. Learning the organ, which in some ways resembles a mini-orchestra, because of all the different sounds and tones available, opened up new challenges. The organ required a different keyboard technique to the piano, and also presented the new challenge of playing a pedal board as an additional ‘voice’ to what was played with the hands. She describes her four years of study at Auckland University in organ performance, in the late 1908’s, as very valuable and is grateful to have had that opportunity. Alison has been on the organ roster at St James Church, Thames. |
2020 AFFETTO Group and William King
Music by well-loved composers J.S. Bach, Alessandro Scarlatti and Henry Purcell will be interspersed with gems by composers you may never have heard of! Praised as ‘inspired programmers’ by Metro Magazine, early music ensemble Affetto were formed in 2010 to explore the lesser known chamber music of the Baroque and Renaissance. The members of Affetto are all early music specialists, leaders in their respective fields, Kiwis, overseas trained, all playing authentic instruments & all hopelessly passionate about early music. Affetto is made up of viola da gamba player Polly Sussex, NZ's only exponent of the cornetto Peter Reid, harpsichordist and organist Rachael Griffiths-Hughes and exciting young baritone Will King.
2021 Trio Jackson
From Gypsy to Jazz to Bach and Shostakovich and anything in between, this classically trained ensemble has branched out into an exotic array of genres to create something uniquely their own. Trio Jackson is a family group that has been playing together for over twenty years. This has created a magical musical synthesis born of their intuitive, creative and empathetic ensemble expression. Their classical training allows them to present with authority and style, the works by Shostakovich and Bach which have been faithfully arranged by Miles. Duo Jackson are well known for their numerous recordings and performances throughout Australasia and Europe. Fleur Jackson - Violin Margarita Jackson - Violin Miles Jackson - Guitar 
2023 James Brown
James was born and educated in Auckland. He had success in piano competitions there and in other centres including here in Thames, gained several diplomas in piano performance and completed a B.Mus at Auckland University. He also trained as a secondary school teacher. James then furthered his piano studies in England on a Queen Elizabeth 2nd Arts Council grant and on his return to New Zealand performed extensively as a soloist and accompanist in recitals (including in Thames), on the concert programme of Radio New Zealand and on several occasions as a soloist with St Matthews Chamber Orchestra in Auckland. He now lives in England where he continues to perform regularly and teach piano. 
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Waikato Uni Conservatorium Vocal Students
2023: The vocal department from the University of Waikato were excited to present “Harmonious Horizons”- end of year finale on Friday 27th October 2023 at St George’s Church in the lovely Thames Valley. This lunchtime concert will feature the efforts of the students academic journey studying classical voice in 2023. Prepare to be captivated by the sensational showcase of stunning arias, Brahms’s Liebeslieder waltz, musical theatre, and jazz. With works spanning from the late 16th century to the early 20th century, and influences from Germany, Italy, France, England and America.
2023 Kumeu Vintage Brass
Members love to travel to Thames to entertain us with their special blend of humour and popular band music. Playing in KVB are ex Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery, Army and Air Force players as well as Navy band players. All players have backgrounds in NZ community bands and some in British, Canadian and Australian bands as well. "Like a Vintage wine, we improve with age. Like our local classic cars, Kumeu Vintage Brass is a treasure to be seen, heard, enjoyed and applauded". 
2023 Josh Layne
Canadian harpist and composer Josh Layne performs music by Bach, Beethoven, Layne, Presle, Smetana, and more. Here as a guest of the New Zealand Harp Festival, Layne has been touring the north and south islands since the start of February, with this concert marking the end of his New Zealand tour. Layne performs a program that shows off the depth and breadth of the harp. Headlined by stunning arrangement for solo harp of Smetana's orchestral masterpiece, "The Moldau", the program also includes the Adagio from Beethoven's "Appassionata" sonata, Layne's own music, and Jacques de le Presle's French impressionist "Garden in the Rain". 
MADS GRANUM
Church Organ like you've never heard it before From Denmark to New Zealand Mads Granum (Copenhagen, DK) has a background as organ player, jazz pianist and as a composer of modern hymns. He has performed concerts in different parts of the world from Europe to Russia, but this is the first time he performs in New Zealand where he lives for a year. Jazz, latin, bebop, ragtime His approach is different to many other organ players. He has taken traditional German and Scandinavian hymns and twisted them with flavours of jazz, salsa, calypso, and bebop. At his concerts he focuses mainly on Christmas Music but he will also present ragtime music and all-time classics like Oscar Petersons Hymn to freedom, Over the Rainbow and Salute to Bach. We will get to sing his newest release "You ask me what hope is" that can be found on Spotify and Youtube. It won a song competition in Denmark last year for ACT Alliance. The song is about hope and has been used in places as far away like the Middle East and Malawi. In Denmark churches has picked it up for everything from baptism, weddings and funerals. |
2023 Thames Citizens' Band
If you want a lunchtime of enjoyment, variety and surprises Thames Citizens’ Band’s latest performance has all that. You may laugh, you may cry, you will remember, you’ll hear things like you’ve never heard them before and there’ll be surprises too.
2022 Sounds of the Shore
Sounds of the Shore is a vibrant, exciting women’s chorus on Auckland's North Shore. We sing an eclectic range of songs in barbershop style; from golden oldies to modern pop favourites. Come and watch us perform – fun, friendship and laughter guaranteed! Our members are beautifully unique, of different backgrounds, ages and occupations – all connected through friendship, and a love of singing and performing. We are a prospective chapter of Sweet Adelines International (one of the largest singing organisations in the world) Our award-winning director, Richard Harker, is very entertaining and professional – you will love watching us perform. 
2023 Yamaha 40th Birthday
Programme Barrie Stewart & the Haakma Sisters Irving Berlin - “I love a piano” Francis Cowan & Jonathan Dunlop Richard Wagner Excerpts from “Tannhauser” for four hands: John Broadbent Franz Schubert Impromptu in Gb D899 No. 3 Franz Liszt Liebestraum No. 4 Sergei Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor Interval Pictures from past concerts Jonathan Dunlop Frederic Chopin Impromptu in Gb Minor Opus 51 John Mullon The History of the Thames Music Group James Brown Franz Schubert Impromptu in Eb Opus 90 No.2 Christopher Norton from Pacific Preludes - Pokarekare Ana A Surprise Pianist Not another Impromptu? Yes well…. Maybe! Barrie Stewart and Dawn Finch Boogie Woogie Duets Acknowledgements and Cutting the Cake 
Nichola Genn Harris
Combining bass, alto, concert flutes and piccolo with taonga puoro and electro-acoustic backing tracks, Nichola will present ‘Soundscape Aotearoa’. With music almost exclusively by New Zealand composers such as Anthony Ritchie, Peter Adams, Helen Fisher, and Martin Lodge, the programme depicts our landscape, our history, and our culture, and highlights the uniqueness of the language of Music in New Zealand, with its fusion of Western Art Music, cross-cultural inspiration, and the sounds of our landscape. |
Dr Jonathan Dunlop - Piano
Romantic Masters: Fantasies and Impromptus
Jonathan Dunlop has just completed Doctoral studies at the University of Waikato with Katherine Austin. His research focuses on the pianist's journey through a wide range of repertoire to find creative pedalling solutions in keyboard music from CPE Bach through to the late Romantic composers such as Chopin, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
To compliment his studies in this field, he plays a wide variety of historic keyboards, which include the harpsichord, clavichord, organ and fortepiano.
Jonathan is an alumna of the New Zealand Opera School, and most recently he has joined the The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS) team as a Performance Fellow at the University of Waikato. Jonathan also works at St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton as organist and choir coach for the school's choirs, drawing on years of experience in this discipline having directed choirs in South Auckland and Thames
