About Us
Susie Hardie leads the choir with her collaborative accompanist, Jane Coles.
We enjoy learning songs and music from around the world, and we meet on Tuesday evenings 7.00 to 8:30 pm at Knox Church Hall during the school terms.
Since the choir began we have had over 500 people come through the door. We have a core group of approximately 65 members.
We are always keen to welcome new people.
We enjoy learning songs and music from around the world, and we meet on Tuesday evenings 7.00 to 8:30 pm at Knox Church Hall during the school terms.
Since the choir began we have had over 500 people come through the door. We have a core group of approximately 65 members.
We are always keen to welcome new people.
Philosophy
Why do we sing together?
Music has amazing powers and benefits to all humans. Music is transformative. When we come together to sing, we feel closer together as people as we share common understandings and enjoy the pleasures of making sound from within ourselves. Singing together is such an easy thing to manage; no complicated equipment or arrangements, just the skill and passion of dedicated Song Leaders who teach and craft the sound from the people, enabling each participant to feel they have a part to play in the creation of beautiful music. Learning to sing in harmony together is a relatively simple process and Susie has years of experience in this area.
We believe that singing music from around the world will increase our understanding and empathy towards other cultures and traditions. Group singing is also great for building community and fostering a feeling of belonging, without the pressure of adhering to regulations or being competitive. Active musical experiences are great for the brain and the body, and we enjoy a natural feel-good sensation that comes with the release of endorphins as we sing. We welcome everyone, whatever their background or experience, into the choir at any time and hope that it will be a pleasurable activity, whether as a one-off visit or a regular involvement. There has not been a better time – come on, you know you want to sing!
Music has amazing powers and benefits to all humans. Music is transformative. When we come together to sing, we feel closer together as people as we share common understandings and enjoy the pleasures of making sound from within ourselves. Singing together is such an easy thing to manage; no complicated equipment or arrangements, just the skill and passion of dedicated Song Leaders who teach and craft the sound from the people, enabling each participant to feel they have a part to play in the creation of beautiful music. Learning to sing in harmony together is a relatively simple process and Susie has years of experience in this area.
We believe that singing music from around the world will increase our understanding and empathy towards other cultures and traditions. Group singing is also great for building community and fostering a feeling of belonging, without the pressure of adhering to regulations or being competitive. Active musical experiences are great for the brain and the body, and we enjoy a natural feel-good sensation that comes with the release of endorphins as we sing. We welcome everyone, whatever their background or experience, into the choir at any time and hope that it will be a pleasurable activity, whether as a one-off visit or a regular involvement. There has not been a better time – come on, you know you want to sing!
Music
We learn music from the world's cultures, folk traditions and moderns songs as well. We sometimes sing a cappella and sometimes with piano or guitar accompaniment. We learn by ear and have words on a projected screen to help us. You can access recordings of the songs and the lyrics on our "members only" page.
Our Song Leader
Susie Hardie was born in Angola, where her Brazilian parents were missionaries. She has lived in 9 different countries in 5 continents, and speaks several languages. Her extensive experience abroad has given her a passion for music from around the world.
Susie fell in love with choral singing in Brazil, where she sang in several choirs and toured around the country performing. While living in France, Susie conducted the Choeur du Saleve children’s choir, in St. Julien de Genevois. In Canada, Susie conducted four children’s choirs, winning several awards in choral competitions. After coming to live in New Zealand in 2000, she helped establish an after-school choral programme at Chilton St. James’ school, with two choirs, Brio and Cherubs, that she directed for 8 years. She has also conducted Schola, the top choir at St. Mary’s College, and has presented workshops for the TRC Early Childhood Conference and for the Royal Schools of Church Choirs. Susie has been invited as a guest conductor to the Wellington Young Voices, the Wellington Community Choir, the Manawatu Community Choir and the St. James children's choir. She has been the assistant director of the Hutt Valley Community Choir since 2011 and became musical director in 2016. Susie has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario. She is a French and Music teacher at Queen Margaret College, where she conducts two choirs and three wind bands. She has specialist training in the Kodály Method of music education. She is married to Richard Hardie and has 2 daughters, Laura aged 22 and Sophia aged 19. |
Our Accompanist
What Audiences say about the choir
" The Hutt Community choir presented a concert in November 2020 that audiences in larger centres (such as Wellington) would acknowledge as having reached a high standard. The choir is led by director Susie Hardie who has an inclusive approach. She welcomes all-comers into the choir and engages with her audience, enabling them to feel very much part of each performance. The chosen music is well-known to both singers and audiences with scores that are challenging enough to build confidence and skill for participants. The concert we attended was uplifting, the harmonies pleasingly balanced and the energetic enjoyment amongst the singers engaged the audience to the point where audience and choir members sang easily together. If the overall aim of the Hutt Community Choir is to build community and a sense of belonging it is certainly achieving that aim."
- Carol and Roy Bowden (Experienced singers)
"Thanks so much for letting us know about the Hutt Valley Community Choir concert on November 1st. It was a really good performance, and such a nice community event - the choir was so enthusiastic, and the audience participation was great. I'll definitely go again!" - Audience member Nicholas Drake
"At church on Sunday a lady said to me about our concert" “that music touched my heart” and “that was your best concert so far”.
Four generations of my husband’s family came- aged 5 to 87 years and all said they really enjoyed the concert.
I love singing in this choir and have made some lovely friendships" -Monica Murphy, HVCC member since 2011
- Carol and Roy Bowden (Experienced singers)
"Thanks so much for letting us know about the Hutt Valley Community Choir concert on November 1st. It was a really good performance, and such a nice community event - the choir was so enthusiastic, and the audience participation was great. I'll definitely go again!" - Audience member Nicholas Drake
"At church on Sunday a lady said to me about our concert" “that music touched my heart” and “that was your best concert so far”.
Four generations of my husband’s family came- aged 5 to 87 years and all said they really enjoyed the concert.
I love singing in this choir and have made some lovely friendships" -Monica Murphy, HVCC member since 2011