Sandy Bulmer

Like so many contraltos, I first got put in the alto section as a school girl because I could read music and manage to sing a line of harmony. I joined Auckland Choral when I was in high school and now I’ve been a member for 40 years! I started singing with my mum as a toddler, sitting on her knee while she played the piano and sang soprano and tenor Messiah arias. I used to come to Auckland Choral’s Saturday dress rehearsals in the Town Hall and follow the score in my early teenage years, and it was a natural step to join Mum in the choir when I was 15. I remember Choral Hall in Airedale Street where we used to meet (before Mayoral Drive was built). It was a dusty old building and freezing in winter, but the ladies in the alto section were very kind to me and welcomed me into the back row. Nothing really changes in that respect; the Auckland Choral altos today are a great bunch of people as well!

Josephine Shakira

With a long history in music and performance, Josephine was singing in choirs from the age of 5. She has had the privilege of singing under Dr Raymond White, Sir David Willcocks (Kings College, Cambridge) and was a member of the New Zealand National Youth Choir with Professor Peter Godfrey from 1985 – 1988.

Josephine’s eclectic tastes took her into a multitude of performance genres, including Opera, voiceover for TV and Radio jingles, singing in Rock and Punk bands (although some might have labelled that screaming) Street Theatre, and a Children’s Entertainer with ‘The Aunties.’  She has a degree in Education, and qualifications in Film and Multi-Media.

Josephine works as an Alternative Therapist and Empath.  In January 2015, she returned to classical music, joining Auckland Choral as an Alto 2.

Jim Allardyce

Jim Allardyce here from Whangarei. Commuting to Auckland for work, down on a Tuesday and back on a Friday, has opened up a new side to my social calendar. Rehearsals at the choir have become my weekly highlight forming a natural part of my week. Joining only this year, I remember going for my first visit to "check it all out" - I sat at the back amazed at the choir sight-reading Mendelssohn in German (as it was their first reading and performance of the piece). Very soon I was in the thick of it - rolling my r's in Mendelssohn's tongue with the other singers in my bass one section. My inaugural concert in the Auckland Town Hall was unforgettable as the choir was stupendous.

My day job is highly motivating, as a health and safety professional.  Working throughout a range of industries spanning 25 years I continue to provide coaching to ensure people take ownership for managing risk. My daily priority is sustaining zero harm and I do this by ensuring safe work methods and promoting a great safety culture.