John Rosser CNZM
A foundation member of the NZ National Youth Choir and the New Zealand
Singers, John sang with the acclaimed Dorian Choir, while training as a choral
conductor under Professor Peter Godfrey and performing as a baritone soloist.
In 1985 he formed the innovative chamber choir Viva Voce – which he has now
led in over 500 concerts, broadcasts and recordings – and worked from 1996 to
2018 as Chorus Director and Associate Conductor for New Zealand Opera.
Chair of the New Zealand Choral Federation across 12 years, John was national
director of both The Big Sing and Sing Aotearoa, and led the NZCF Anthems
Project for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Following his work as Artistic Director for
the (Covid-cancelled) 2020 World Symposium on Choral Music, he was appointed
Artistic & Games Director of the World Choir Games 2024 in Auckland.
John is a governor of the International Federation for Choral Music and a member
of the World Choir Council. In 2022 he was made a Companion of the New
Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to choral music.