History of the Wednesday lunchtime concerts
The Very Rev John Murray, when he arrived at St Andrew’s on the Terrace in 1975, was determined to open the doors of the church to the city, literally and figuratively. One creative and successful initiative in this quest was the introduction in 1975 of the Wednesday lunchtime concerts. John records in a personal memoir that the Wednesday ‘congregation’ grew to be larger than those on Sundays. The concerts did not become weekly until 2005 but their popularity has grown over the years and audience sizes are mostly larger than the Sunday congregation in 2024. John notes in his memoir that they were fortunate that musicians from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, which was llocated nearby, gave their time and talents freely.
Roy Tankersley was church organist at St Andrew’s from the late 1970s into the early 1980s. He was also Director of the Bach Choir. Roy moved the Bach choir rehearsals to St Andrew’s about 1977 and the Bach Choir has since rehearsed and performed many concerts there, in his time and up until the present day. Roy left Wellington in 1984 but returned in 1985 to conduct the choir for a concert series celebrating the 300th anniversary of the births of Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 – 28 July 1750) and George Frideric Handel 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759). They performed Bach’s Coffee Cantata and Handel’s Alexander’s Feast.
Thus, John and Roy were instrumental in connecting St Andrew’s with the wider music community. Through these events musicians and singers came to appreciate St Andrew’s on the Terrace as small concert venue of some renown with possibly the best acoustics in the city. Students from the New Zealand School of Music became regular performers too, probably starting in the 2000s.
John Murray completed his tenure at St Andrew’s in 1993. We do not have details of who took over the leadership of the lunchtime concerts after John’s retirement, but two names have come to light: those of Vivien Cryer and Celia Lampe. We know that In 2000 Marjan van Waardenberg took over the volunteer role of Lunchtime Concert Coordinator from Celia Lampe. At that time concerts were held two to three times a month and audiences were small.
In 2005 Marjan introduced weekly Wednesday concerts and audiences grew, as did the popularity amongst musicians. Marjan says: “The waiting lists for performers wishing to be on the schedule grew so I think it was 2016 when we started including sporadic Thursdays”. Thursday lunchtime concerts once a month have become a feature of the series. Marjan further says: “The St Andrew’s staff were hugely supportive which meant that I could still organise the weekly concert while in Toronto/ London for two years. Monica Smith supported during this time by being front of House in those two years.” Hats off to Marjan and everyone who supported her!
Marjan retired from her voluntary role at the end of 2000 and was replaced by Kris Zuelicke, a musician and teacher, who has built on Marjan’s legacy. Both Marjan and Kris have maintained the quality of musicianship, as did John, Roy and others before them, that audiences have come to expect. Today the lunchtime concert series is a much sought after performance venue by musicians, with an appreciative and regular audience.
(If you have further information, please email it to: office@standrews.org.nz)