Kia Maumahara: Songs of Remembrance

“Kia maumahara calls us to remember.”
Join us for a profound musical commemoration this ANZAC Day as we give voice to memory—personal, communal, and national. As part of the Hamilton Civic Choir 2026 Concert Season, He Reo Tuuhonohono- A Tapestry of Song, Remembrance is an active, living act. Through a powerful programme of choral reflection, we honour those who have gone before us and the enduring stories carried in their experiences. Opening with David Hamilton: “A Song of Remembrance”—a poignant choral work of modern reflection, taking a traditional poem “ We shall keep the faith” and inserting an anonymous but also most childlike refrain- “Poppy, Poppy what should we know?” Then presenting the main work by Hamiltonian, Janet Jennings: “Anzacs: A Generation Lost in Legend”—opening with a haunting solo violin, the work is a setting of words from wartime poets. Featuring young soloists; : Christian Thurston, Bella Allan-Moetaua, Jordan Fonoti-Fuimaono. The final piece was also written by a local musician, Angela Edmeades-Smith: “Lest We Forget”—a solemn and stirring call to memory with the famous John McCrae poem “In Flanders Fields” and Robert Binyon’s “For The Fallen” culminating in the ever haunting Last Post.
Accompanied by the majestic resonance of organ, brass, and percussion, these works create a landscape of sound that bridges the past and the present.
Come and be part of this living act of remembrance.