Bach Musica NZ Unveils 2026 Guest Conductors And Programme

Bach Musica NZ, New Zealand’s leading combined choir and orchestra, is pleased to announce its 2026 programme, with four concerts across the year at the Auckland Town Hall. The season marks an important new chapter for Bach Musica NZ, welcoming a line-up of distinguished guest conductors to the stage following the retirement of longstanding Music and Artistic Director, Rita Paczian, at the end of 2025.

For the first performance of 2026 on Sunday 19 April at the Auckland Town Hall, Bach Musica NZ welcomes guest conductor Jono Palmer to open the season with a programme that bridges eras and traditions.

Jono Palmer is an Auckland-based conductor and educator who teaches conducting and music theory at the University of Auckland, where he also directs the University Symphony Orchestra. Palmer is the Artistic Director of the Auckland Chamber Choir, Director of Choirs at Diocesan School for Girls, and served as the 2025 Assistant Conductor for Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand.

“For me, this programme reflects what Bach Musica does best: honouring great musical traditions while bringing them into conversation with the present. Bach’s Easter Oratorio offers radiant joy, while Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Usspeaks directly to questions of unity, compassion, and shared humanity.” says Palmer.

Joining Palmer for this special performance is Alanah Jones (Soprano), Daljeet Singh(Alto), Jack Doyle (Countertenor), Manjeet Singh (Tabla), Iain Tetley (Tenor) and Blake Scanlen (Baritone). For this programme, Bach’s Easter Oratorio bursts to life with festive brilliance, propelled by orchestral writing adapted from its origins as a secular cantata, as Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobi, Peter and John lead us through the dawn discovery of the empty tomb. The New Zealand premier of Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us brings Western Baroque forces into dialogue with Hindustani classical music in a moving reflection on unity and compassion.

To round out the 2026 season, the combined orchestra and 45-strong choir will be joined by guest conductors, Jose Aparicio on 14 June, Vincent Hardaker on 20 September, and David Squire on 6 December, representing the best of New Zealand classical music. This year’s programme includes plenty of Bach and Handel, a dedication to the wonderful music of Brahms, and a cross-section of French composers, spanning the Baroque, to the Romantic era and beyond.

Bach Musica NZ will also continue to host their popular workshop series, offering a unique opportunity to learn from a team of top-level conductors, instrumentalists and vocal specialists. The 2026 workshops are: Conducting on 7 March, String Orchestra on 16 May, and Singing on 5 September and 14 November. All workshops will be held at Somervell Presbyterian Church in Remuera.

“Bach Music NZ has become one of our city’s most treasured cultural resources.”
– William Dart, NZ Herald

bachmusica.com

BACH MUSICA NZ 2026 PROGRAMME:

This Love Between Us

Sunday 19 April at 5pm – Auckland Town Hall

Songs of Destiny

Sunday 14 June 2026 at 5pm – Auckland Town Hall

Rhythm and Repose

Sunday 20 September 2026 at 5pm – Auckland Town Hall

From Stillness to Splendour

Sunday 6 December 2026 at 5pm – Auckland Town Hall

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