Chris is a long-time bass who studied European languages and economics at the University of Auckland and is currently doing digital marketing for small businesses (making Google and Facebook display ads etc.) He enjoys that the job is constantly changing and that it has a good work-life balance . When asked why he keeps coming back to choir he says that it’s because of the “really friendly people” and the chance to learn to sing “somewhat well”.

This time last year, if someone had told Wayne that he would have been singing in the tenor section after more than half a decade in AYC’s bass section, he may have done something untoward. Or he might have laughed. When asked why he keeps coming back to choir he explained that it’s a mixture of both the people and the music.

Leilani is one of AYC's longest standing members and she can't count the number of positive experiences she has had in the choir over this time. She's currently working on my doctoral thesis at the University of Auckland studying sexual selection in New Zealand sheet-web spiders (Cambridgea) with a particular focus on weapon evolution and fighting behaviour.

Tina is in her second year at University of Auckland, doing a conjoint Law/Arts degree majoring in Politics and History. Outside of choir Tina volunteers for the Equal Justice Project, a student run pro-bono group which volunteers at a community law centre. She’s also part of a couple first year mentoring programmes at university, “so I send out a loooooot of emails.”

Annelise joined AYC at the beginning of 2015 as a senior at St Kentigern’s college. This year she is studying towards a BCom in commerce and property at the University of Auckland. Music apparently runs in the family as she’s managed to bully her brother, Stefan [pictured], to join the choir this year. “There are five years between us so we have never been at the same school let alone same choir together. I’m really looking forward to performing with him this year.”

Alex has actually been a member of AYC for several years but returned to us at the beginning of 2016 following an exchange to Aarhus, Denmark (pictured). Things have changed a great deal in the past couple years and he’s “excited about AYC’s renewed energy and increasing profile here at home and abroad.” He enjoyed singing throughout school and has been involved in theatre and university revues.

Jacqui is currently studying ecology at the University of Auckland – key word here being currently, as “I really don’t know what to do with my life”. In her free time she enjoys card making, knitting, painting, “generally things which keep me creatively occupied and to which I can listen to music whilst doing them.”