An Afternoon with Octavius

Octavius is Hawke's Bay's premier Chamber Choir. This 10-member group sings music of almost every style, usually in intricate 8-part harmonies. Octavius is a small Napier-based Choir which loves to sing all sorts of music, usually in 8-part harmonies. The group is directed by Anthony Tattersall, who also directs the adult and children’s choirs of the Waiapu Cathedral.

Octavius gave its first concert in November 2017 and since then have sung at many different venues in the region, including at St. Luke’s church in 2019. Performance highlights include a collaboration with Iona College for a show entitled “Shakespeare As We Like It” and a concert in the Waiapu Cathedral in 2020 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Octavius also sings Carols each December at Cranford Hospice and has performed for the Taradale U3A group, and at Mangapapa Hotel.

The concert at St Luke's on Saturday 15th May will have something for everyone to enjoy, including well-known Spirituals arranged by John Rutter, Shakespeare’s texts set to music by George Shearing, two Gershwin favourites – “Someone to Watch over me”, and “I Got Rhythm” – and a Richard Rogers medley. More contemporary music will include the beautiful Beatles song “Blackbird” and a new composition by Hawke’s Bay musician Stephen Lange, while beautiful anthems by Wood and Stanford will showcase the fine tradition of Anglican church music.