Napier’s Octavius Chamber Choir will present an Art Deco concert with a difference in the Waiapu Cathedral on Saturday February 21. Joined by players from the Cathedral Strings, the choir will take listeners on a musical journey through the jazz clubs and dance halls, Hollywood studios and radio stages of the early 20th Century. The mood of the time encompassed optimism and glamour, and a belief that modern life could be stylish, sophisticated, and full of possibilities.
The program will feature music by composers like Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George and Ira Gershwin, with many of their songs first heard in films and stage shows: Night and Day, The Man I Love, In a Sentimental Mood, Three Coins in the Fountain and Mancini’s Charade. Other songs have become standards through their association with important events of the era. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Bye-Bye Blackbird and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy capture the mood of wartime romance and resilience, while Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Mister Sandman remind us that in uncertain times people turn to music for comfort, hope, and a little sparkle.
Swing and syncopated rhythms are a feature of the era, heard in It Don’t Mean a Thing, Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Maple Leaf Rag. Ain’t Misbehavin’ is pure Fats Waller charm and lush, lyrical melodies feature in a song made famous by Frank Sinatra: Fly Me to the Moon. A burst of choral joy — a celebration of life, light, and the sheer pleasure of singing - will be heard in My Spirit Sang All Day by English composer Gerald Finzi. The final sequence of songs will feature the choir and string quartet celebrating their enjoyment of jazz music with All That Jazz from the show “Chicago”, and two iconic Gershwin compositions: I Got Rhythm and Rhapsody in Blue, in which swagger, energy and sweeping lines reflect the confidence and style of the Art Deco era. These and other songs will bring 90 minutes of pure pleasure to the audience at this event.
What? Puttin’ on the Ritz – a concert by Octavius Choir
When? 1:30 pm, Saturday February 21st 2026
Where? Waiapu Cathedral, Browning Street, Napier
Entry? No tickets required; your Koha/donation appreciated
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