‘Praise Be’ Celebrate 25th Birthday with First Album Release

14 November, 2011

‘Praise Be’ Celebrate 25th Birthday with First Album Release

In celebration of 25 years on TVNZ, November 28 sees the release of the first ever Praise Be album. The double album contains 30 tracks carefully chosen to best represent the outstanding choral standards in New Zealand and the broad styles of Christian music that TVONE’s Praise Be program has recorded over the years, for all seasons of the liturgical year.

In the last quarter century, an estimated 47,000 people have sung on the program. Hymns from the recordings have been retained in an extensive archive – more than four thousand hymns and songs of worship recorded in a total of 175 New Zealand churches and venues. The extremely high standard of New Zealand choral singing being performed by school, college and youth choirs continues to astound the Praise Be team and surveys have shown that more New Zealanders are actively involved in choral singing than who play rugby!

Praise Be was first produced in the TVNZ Dunedin studios and went to air on Sunday 6 April 1986, hosted by Graeme Thomson who continued as host for 20 years until he retired and Chris Nichol took over. It is now produced from the TVNZ Avalon studios. The series continues to travel around the country recording choral groups and ecumenical congregation singing for packaging into half hour programs watched on TVONE by an average weekly audience of 70,000.

The music featured on Praise Be has reflected the changes that have taken place over a quarter of a century. Early content was very traditional and featured many splendid cathedral choirs from the UK – but over the years the music sung in New Zealand churches has diversified to include rock bands, contemporary styles with modern language and a greater influence from Maori and Pacific Island communities.

The album includes a locally written piece incorporating “God Defend New Zealand” in counterpoint, a selection of Christmas Carols, a mixture of top adult choirs, youth choirs and congregations, some Lenten and Easter hymns ending with an uplifting Salvation Army farewell song.

Praise Be – Available Monday 28 November 2011 from all good music retailers

ENDS

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