New maestro in town: Rowan Johnston on leading NZ’s top youth choir

Saturday, 18 April 2026

A relatively new Wellingtonian, Rowan Johnston was recently announced as the new music director for the New Zealand Youth Choir (NZYC), the longest running national youth choir in the world. He has big shoes to fill, taking over the role from his colleague David Squire who took the choir to glory last year, winning both the the Grand Prix of Nations at the European Choir Games in Denmark and the Choir of the World at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in Wales. So, no pressure, Rowan! The Post sat down with him to see how he’s going in his new role so far.

Rowan, what does it mean to lead a national taonga with such a storied legacy?

It is a huge privilege to be taking on this role. As only the fifth music director in the choir’s 47-year history, I really am standing on the shoulders of choral giants in Aotearoa. This choir has been the flagship choral ensemble taking our music to the world. I’m look forward to continuing this legacy. And, like my predecessor, I too have a passion for commissioning and performing new music by New Zealanders.

You’ve spoken about being inspired by your own time in the Secondary Students Choir and NZYC …

My time in the choir, under the directorship of the late Roger Stevenson, sparked my life-long love of singing in choirs at the highest level. Interestingly, one of the new singers to gain a place in the NZYC is Roger's grandson, Henri Le Cren.

It was also where my interest in choral conducting began. Karen Grylls was the music director during my time in the choir, and she understood the need to “pass on the baton”, running workshops for choir members interested in conducting and providing the opportunity to learn from her.

I went on to study choral conducting at a post-graduate level under Karen, completing a Master’s Degree at the University of Auckland. I now have the privilege of not only calling Karen a mentor, but also a friend and colleague.

Those initial opportunities with NZYC led me to start and lead ensembles, and I hope to give the same opportunities to the singers under my leadership.

What qualities do you looking for in the choir members?

Many of our country's finest singers on the international and operatic stages have been members of NZYC - Jonathan Lemalu, Simon O'Neill, Pene Pati and Christopher Brewerton to name a few. Obviously, we are looking initially for people with a “good instrument”, but further to that, we are looking to their musicianship, leadership qualities and the ability to get on with a large, diverse group of people. The nature of our model means that rehearsal periods are short and intense. Singers need to have strong stamina to cope with the demands.

We are also looking at who will cope with the demands of international touring, and sometimes it’s some of the youngest singers! We look to develop these qualities by having a leadership structure within the choir. Choirs Aotearoa New Zealand, the body that runs our national choirs, also has choir representation at a governance level, helping to develop the next generation of leadership by giving singers a voice at the board table.

What excites you most about shaping the next three years?

We will spend weeks touring and performing throughout New Zealand culminating with an international tour in July 2028. Having seen the passion and quality of performance from the NZYC in our first performance, just last weekend, I am looking forward to pushing these young singers to be the very best they can be.

We work with a range of music styles, from traditional classical music to waiata, and in many different languages. This choir will sing in English, Latin, French, German, Māori, Tongan, Arabic, Korean and Estonian. We also collaborate with others ensembles and arts organisations throughout the country. Our next collaboration will be June in Palmerston North where we will work with the NZ Choral Federation to connect with local choirs and then travel to New Plymouth – the first time for NZYC in 15 years – to perform with a special appearance from local ensemble Ombré, followed by a workshop for local secondary schools.

In Wellington you juggle roles across Chilton Saint James and the Wellington Youth Choir. How do these communities feed into your vision for NZYC?

I am very lucky to be working at an amazing school, Chilton Saint James. The principal, Caroline Robertson, is very supportive of the performing arts and of my conducting career.

My directorship of the Wellington Youth Choir continues and is a critical link to working with youth choirs. Many singers in this choir are also members of the NZYC, and working with Wellington Youth Choir keeps me current with the tastes and trends of young people.

How has working with choirs across Aotearoa and overseas influenced your work with young voices?

They have all contributed significantly to my philosophy and practice as a choral conductor. I have mainly spent my conducting career with youth ensembles. There is a special energy with young people. It’s a desire to be the very best coupled with an energy created by performing the music for the very first time.

I have a great artistic team supporting me – Vocal Consultant, Dr Morag Atchison and Assistant Musical Director, Michael Stewart – and I'm looking forward to continuing the work of choral music greats Guy Jansen, Peter Godfrey, Karen Grylls and David Squire … and adding a Rowan Johnston stamp to the mix.