Thank you for visiting my website. Here you will find a selection of my compositions categorised under the headings you see in the menu above. I’d be happy to discuss options for your choir performing my works so please get hold of me through the contact page. Let me know if you have any questions.
Elizabeth Curtis – Bio
Elizabeth Curtis is a retired music teacher living in Havelock North, Hawkes Bay. Her first Choral training was with the Dorian Choir in Auckland, under Peter Godfrey. While in Auckland, she was also a member of the Community Arts Singers, a chamber choir of 8 to 10 voices who took unaccompanied choral music to the provinces many weekends of the year.
During a stint in Wellington where her husband, Arthur, was Headmaster at Wellesley College she sang in the Phoenix Choir. After moving to Hereworth School, Havelock North in 1977 she was active in the Hawkes Bay Opera, in various capacities, including a minor role, a chorus member, as chorus mistress,and surtitle reader.
Elizabeth has taught and directed choirs at Westlake Girls’ High School, Wellesley College, Hereworth School, and Iona College. As an itinerant singing teacher she taught at Woodford House, Iona College, Hastings Girls’ High School, Karamu High School and Havelock North High School, the latter for 25 years, until the end of 2009. She has been organist and choir director at St Luke’s Parish Church since 1978 and accompanist and vocal coach for the Linden Singers of Hawkes Bay since 2006.
Sons John and James work in I.T. but both were choristers at Hereworth and Havelock High, James going on to the National Youth Choir and Voices NZ. John plays bass in various bands based in Taupo.
Elizabeth’s compositions are all choral works, written for Iona College, Hereworth, Havelock High and St Luke’s Choirs and the Linden Singers. ”Sing a New Song” was commissioned by the Hawkes Bay Branch of the Registered Music Teachers who hosted the National Conference at Woodford House in January, 2004.
All her works have been performed. The school choirs for whom many were written have used them in the Kids’ Sing and The Big Sing. Other works have featured in concerts by the Linden Singers, Napier Civic Choir and Cantare, a local chamber choir.