TENOR HENRY CHOO

There are two things that I’m looking forward to: 1) Regularly performing again after such a long enforced period of time away from concert halls and opera stages, and 2) I’m looking forward to singing with “the boys”, to reconnect with the ABCI, and to prepare top quality performances together.

Simply put, audiences can expect beautiful singing and beautiful music. Mozart is a favourite composer of mine and his music is always so beautiful to listen to as well as being a joy to perform.

There is the obvious answer: I learnt musical skills such as solfege and rhythm that I continue to use today as a professional musician, both as performer and educator. Then there is the less obvious answer: Being in the ABCI taught me things that transcend the “choir boy” archetype. For example, music camps and performance tours taught me resilience and self-reliance, social skills, how to work independently as well as collectively, discipline and commitment to a passion, loyalty to friends, and many other life-skills that I use today and am most grateful for having learnt through my involvement with the ABCI. Being a chorister isn’t just about learning to be a better musician. It’s really about a personal journey of growth and development, where you also learn to become a better musician along the way.

January 1985. My voice changed in late 1989. I joined The Junior Consort (The Kelly Gang) in 1990, and then joined The Vocal Consort in 1991 and sang with them until the early 2000s.

I have been very privileged and fortunate to have had many wonderful experiences in my singing career thus far, but one experience does stand out from all the rest. In 2017 I performed the role of Ben in a world-premiere work called The Bone Feeder for NZ Opera and Auckland Arts Festival. The opera is tri-lingual: English, Chinese (Mandarin), and Māori. The journey that the cast and creative team went through together, from start to finish, was strongly emotive, culturally inclusive – including hongi – and historically significant. I recall breaking down in tears while heading back to my dressing room after the final performance, such was the overwhelming emotion of the work for me.

I’ve performed over 20 operatic roles in various productions in my career thus far. Many of my roles are from comic operas, and of these, it is perhaps the production of Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte by Jim Sharman (of The Rocky Horror Picture Show fame) that stands out as being the quirkiest and one of the most enjoyable operas to perform.

Three main things: 1) Don’t be in too much of a hurry. Male voices take a longer time to mature compared to female voices, and you will likely be in your mid-20s before you are offered professional operatic work. In the meantime, work on your vocal technique, learn languages, take acting and dance classes. Be prepared for the opportunities that lie ahead. 2) Make certain that singing is your passion. Being an opera singer involves a lot of discipline and sacrifice. You want to be sure that singing is your passion and that doing so makes you happy. 3) While you prepare yourself for a career in opera singing, remember to maintain balance in your life. This will not only help you with mental resilience, but it will help to keep you in peak performance at all times.

To those already in the choir: Be proud of what you do. You’re already on your respective lifelong journey with music – singing being an integral part. Continue to be ambassadors for choral singing. Your participation can encourage others to join, so that they too can begin to benefit from having music a significant part of their life. To those who are hoping to join: Go for it! There’s much more to being in a choir than just singing musical notes on a page. Make lasting friendships, go on exciting performance tours, and grow up to be young men who will make a positive difference in our society.