About Us
The Bach Choir exists to explore and honour in performance the beauties and wonder of choral music from the past four centuries with particular emphasis on the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. We are a medium size choir of about 50 members and give several major concerts each year, mostly in Wellington.
Shawn Michael Condon is a music educator, conductor, and researcher, and was appointed as Music Director of the Bach Choir of Wellington in 2018. Shawn studied music education with a concentration in choral conducting and piano at the College of New Jersey. He’s taught both intermediate and secondary school vocal and choral music and music theory and kept a private piano studio. As a pianist, he’s served as a repetiteur at the Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City and principal accompanist for the Princeton GirlChoir. Shawn completed a Master’s degree in Music, Mind, and Technology and the University of Jyväskylä (Finland) and is currently completing his Ph.D. in music education at the University of Jyväskylä.
Our Assistant Director and Accompanist is Douglas Mews. Douglas studied organ and harpsichord with the late Anthony Jennings at Auckland University, followed by harpsichord studies with Bob van Asperen at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague. He is now a freelance musician, teaching at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington and directing the music at St Teresa’s Catholic Church.
Singers Welcome
If you enjoy singing or know someone looking for a choir, we are always interested in welcoming new members.
Practices are usually held on Mondays 7 pm to 9 pm at St Andrew’s on the Terrace. If you’d like to try singing with us to see if it’s for you, please contact Alison on 021 1419827 or by email c/o admin@bachchoirwellington.org.nz
Membership is by audition, and the annual subscription is $230.
Privacy Policy
Our privacy policy is available here.
Contact Details
By email: admin@bachchoirwellington.org.nz
Our postal address is:
PO Box 514
Wellington, Wgn 6140
New Zealand
Librarian: Susanna Spence:
email: susanna.spence.2010 (at) gmail.com
Committee 2022
Musical Director: Shawn Condon
Chairperson: Terry Rieper
Treasurer: Tim Housel
Secretary: Judie Alison
Members: Alison Forrest, Murray Pillar, Vicki Steele
Membership of the choir is by audition and participation as well as payment of an annual membership subscription which is determined by the members at the AGM. The choir’s AGM is held, usually at a rehearsal, some time between 1 February and 1 April each year.
We have 3 life members at present, voted by the members in recognition of their extraordinary contributions to the choir: they are — Paul Drake (long time treasurer, now retired to Taupo), Vincent James (former musical director) and Douglas Mews (20 years our accompanist, deputy musical director and musical director).
We are an incorporated society registered under the Charities Act 2005 (our CC number is 26740).
Donations of $5.00 and over are tax deductible and welcomed. If you would like to make a donation and receive a receipt please credit our bank account with Westpac (030502-0068486-00) Bach Choir Inc. and include your name in the payee reference fields — then email us advice of the donation and your address to send the receipt to: or send a cheque with your details to us at PO Box 514, Wellington.