Elvis Gospel Music, Fri 24 November Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland
NOVEMBER 24, 8PM, HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL, AUCKLAND
THE SHOW
In 1977 while on retreat in Hawaii, USA, Elvis Presley dreamed of rebranding his image and revitalising his concert
routine. He would scale back the lush orchestras, the chorus of singers, the Vegas glitz and glamour and refocus on the
music that truly moved him - GOSPEL.
On the 40th Anniversary of a dream that just might have changed music history, Andy Stankovich performs the Grammy
Award-winning Gospel Music of Elvis Presley, backed by a Full Gospel Choir, Male Quartet (The Shades) and an
Inspirational 6-Piece Band (Memphis Show Band).
For one night only, the music that defined and shaped an icon will take centre stage. Timeless classics from 'Amazing
Grace', 'In The Ghetto' to ' Where Could I Go But To The Lord' will fill the stunning surrounds of Auckland's Holy
Trinity Cathedral.
Elvis came to respect the immense power he had to touch and change the lives of others and he felt there was no better
medium than inspirational gospel music.
"All I ever wanted was to help people, lift them up, spread some joy"
Elvis Presley
Come and witness history in the making, as a dream becomes reality.
ANDY STANKOVICH
Elvis has always been a big part of Andy’s life. From as early as the age of seven he clearly remembers singing Elvis
classics at family gatherings. Having performed throughout Australia, New Zealand, America and the Pacific, Andy's
ambition has always been to keep the music of Elvis alive and this is evident in the sincere performances he gives.
In 2012 Andy performed in Nashville with The Jordanaires (Elvis' original backing group). Ray Walker of The Jordanaires
was so impressed by Andy's voice he stated to the audience during the show that "Andy is one of the finest singers we
have ever worked with in our lives. "He has the spirit of Elvis about him, Elvis would be proud". His vocal ability,
range, inflections and phrasing capture the true essence of the King's voice.
In 2015 Andy featured in the short film 'The King' directed by Ursula Williams. The film was selected by director and
filmmaker Lee Tamahori as a finalist in the International Film Festival. The film premiered at the State Theatre in
Sydney, Australia before going on to win the Peoples Choice Award for the best short film. The highlight of the film was
Andy's stunning acoustic performance of In The Ghetto backed by a full gospel choir.
THE SHADES QUARTET
The Shades are a quartet based in Auckland comprised of Taka Vuni, Manase Latu, Ipu Laga’aia and Samson Setu, all
classical voice students at the University of Auckland. Individually they have been involved with the National Youth
Choir or Secondary Schools Choir on international tours, winning major world prizes for choral singing and together they
fuse a perfect blend of Tongan and Samoan voices, all peppered with a cheeky sense of humour and a passion for
excellence in singing.
MANASE LATU - TENOR
Manase is in his third year of a Bachelor of Classical Voice and at 20 years old, is already the winner of many major
awards and scholarships at the University of Auckland including the Graham Allen prize for Musical Theatre and the
Iosefa Enari Memorial Award for Creative New Zealand, which recognises a promising Pasifika artist. He was also the most
promising under - 21 year old in the New Zealand Aria Competition twice, whilst only a school-boy.
This year he was a semifinalist in the prestigious Lexus Song Quest. He recently toured Europe as a member of the New
Zealand National Youth Choir, having found his passion for choral singing whilst at St Kentigern’s School in their
award-winning choir Kentoris. He appears regularly as a soloist with choral societies around the country and later this
year will sing the tenor solo with Auckland Choral Society in Handel’s Messiah at the Town Hall.
TAKA VUNI - BARITONE
21 years old, Taka is a founding member of Klapa Samoana, a singing group which toured to Croatia.
IPU LAGA’AIA - TENOR
20 years old, and has just returned from performing in Samoa.
SAMSON SETU - BASS
Samson is 22 years old, Samoan and a proud Dilworth old boy. He is the winner of numerous competitions, most recently
the Ron Dellow Vocal Recital and a clean sweep of every class at the South Auckland Competitions, giving him automatic
entry into the National Competition in October. He was invited to sing as part of the Lexus Song Quest masterclass
recently and for the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation. He was a finalist in the New Zealand Aria, taking out the prize
from the New Zealand opera School. Samson balances his singing with a passion for rugby.
THE GOSPEL CHOIR
A handpicked group of outstanding singers under the direction of the highly respected choir director, Claire Caldwell
THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR
MARK DENNISON
Originally from Sydney, Mark’s recorded and toured with John Farnham, Australian Crawl, James Morrison, Neil Finn, Barry
White, Elaine Paige, Joan Rivers, Jimmy Barnes, Lou Rawls, Manhattan Transfer and Sting. Mark brings the show together
musically, arranges the music to sound as close to the original Elvis recordings as possible and also provides flute and
saxophone accompaniment.
MEMPHIS SHOW BAND
Chet O’Connell – Guitar
Neil Hannan – Bass
Johnny Scott – Drums
David Curtis & Stuart Pearce - Keys