About — HARBOUR VOICES

Originally North Shore 100 Voice Chorale, the choir was established in 1986 by influential local musician and teacher, Margot Lloyd QSM. For Season 3, 2026, Harbour Voices will be performing under the baton of Dr Karen Grylls, CNZM.

Dr Karen Grylls ONZM (1999), CNZM (2023)
Music Director

Dr Karen Grylls ONZM (1999), CNZM (2023) is an Honorary Associate Professor in Choral Conducting at the University of Auckland. She conducted the New Zealand Youth Choir from 1989 to 2011, founded Voices NZ in 1998 and Artistic Director of three internationally acclaimed national choirs: these two and the NZ Secondary Student’s choir till 2024. From 2011 to 2013, Karen was also Artistic Director of Toronto’s Exultate Chamber Choir. Her performances with the Youth Choir and Voices NZ have won international competitions and awards: 1992 with NZYC, The Silver Rose Bowl in the BBC Let the Peoples Sing competition, NZYC Choir of the World, Llangollen (1999), TOWER Voices CD Spirit of the Land took the 2006 Tui Award for Best Classical Album, and the CD Voice of the Soul was a finalist in the 2013 Vodafone NZ Music awards. Her work with the national choirs in New Zealand has been acknowledged with her appointment as Artistic Director Emerita to Choirs Aotearoa NZ in 2025.

At the University of Auckland, Karen has established a postgraduate pathway in Conducting at the Masters and Doctoral level. Students from the university were regularly accepted into overseas courses of study and have successfully taken on high-level conducting positions specifically with the national choirs in New Zealand.

Many prize-winning conductors from The Big Sing, the national secondary schools choral competition, have studied with her. Karen received an Auckland University Distinguished Teaching Award in Music (1996), and an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 1999, and Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2023, for her services to choral music. She is also the recipient of two national citations for services to New Zealand music from the Composers’ Association of New Zealand. Karen is much in demand as an adjudicator for competitions and festivals worldwide, most recently in Bali and Taipei, the 48th International competition in Tolosa, and the Marktoberdorf International Chamber Choir Competition, Bavaria.

She is sought after internationally as a choral clinician and regularly conducts international masterclasses and workshops. In August 2019 Karen was a plenary speaker at the Oxford Conducting Institute at the Sydney Conservatorium Conference and in 2022, Karen was a jury member for the International Tokyo Choir Competition.

Online lecture appearances have included Toronto, Los Angeles, Boston, Montreal and the Sydney International Series (Gondwana) In 2025 Karen presented at the ECA International Singing week at Ghent. In November 2025 she received international accolades for the Voices NZ tour to Sweden, Hamburg, Paris and London.

Karen is delighted to be conducting Harbour Voices for their 40th Anniversary Concert.

Soomin Kim
Piano Accompanist

Introducing the Harbour Voices pianist/accompanist since 2025, Soomin Kim. We have been honoured to work with her since rehearsals started in February 2025 and have cherished her past contributions to us as a soloist at our previous concerts.

Both a pianist and organist based in Auckland, Soomin’s recent musical highlights include New Zealand Opera’s recent production of Mansfield Park, as well as Die tote Stadt and Dame Cath Tizard State Memorial with the Auckland Philharmonia. Born in Korea, she began piano study at the age of 6 and moved to New Zealand at age 15. She obtained LTCL Piano Recital under the tutelage of Denise Hull, and at the University of Auckland under Stephen De Pledge. During her studies she was selected as a Haydn Staples Piano Scholar, which involved concerti and chamber music performances with Auckland Philharmonia and coaching from internationally renowned pianists.

Simon O’Neill
Harbour Voices Patron

Simon O’Neill ONZM is one of the world’s leading heldentenors, renowned for his performances at prestigious venues like the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, and the Bayreuth Festival. His global career is anchored by his mastery of complex roles, particularly those by Wagner, which have earned him the reputation as "the Wagnerian tenor of his generation."

While he is most famous for his work in the Wagnerian canon, including roles like Siegmund, Tristan, and Parsifal, O’Neill also maintains a versatile repertoire. His ability to perform demanding works by composers such as Beethoven, Strauss, and Verdi—most notably his acclaimed Otello—demonstrates his wide-ranging musical range and adaptability.

A cornerstone of his career is his decades-long partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO). Since his breakthrough in the 1996 Mobil Song Quest, he has collaborated with the orchestra on numerous landmark productions, recently celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Wagnerian debut with the ensemble.

Beyond his prolific performance schedule, which frequently features major symphonic works like Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder, O’Neill is a highly decorated artist. He is an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, a Fulbright Scholar, and a recipient of a Doctor of Music (Honoris Causa).

His legacy is further cemented by an extensive, award-winning discography that includes Grammy-winning recordings and various high-profile live releases. Built upon elite training at the Juilliard Opera Centre, his career remains a testament to consistent artistic excellence and enduring global impact.

Harbour Voices is grateful to have Simon as our Patron in 2026.