It is said that music unwraps the heart and opens the soul, an apt definition especially for those who have made it their passion to bring joy to others as has choir master Helena van der Merwe.
Singer, conductor and also co-ordinator of the recent Bay of Plenty Villages 2024 Music Festival, Helena van der Merwe is not just an ardent music lover; she been singing since her youth and has many credits to her name.
Subsequently, she was seen as the ideal person to organise the music festival which featured accomplished choirs from seven Bay of Plenty retirement villages.
“Bringing it together was something of a mission,” she confesses, “but it was one I embraced because the talent in these choirs really is quite incredible – these are ordinary people, achieving extraordinary heights and enjoy every moment of it.”
The second such Bay festival she has worked with, Helena says it sprung from her leading the choir at Omokoroa Country Estate where she and husband, Johan have lived for the past three years.
Prison Challenge
“Life here has been wonderful, opening up many opportunities, including my role as the village choir master. It began with a Christmas carol concert in my first year and grew from there.
“It just goes to shows that with will and passion, there are countless opportunities even as we age.”
However, if co-ordinating the festival programme, and this time working with six added choirs, might have been considered demanding, it is apparent Helena is seldom daunted by a challenge.
Originally from South Africa, Helena sang in the regional Free State Youth Choir as a teenager. She then studied music at university, taking a strong interest in choral singing. But career fortunes later took her in a different direction. She trained as a journalist and while working for radio in Pretoria, South Africa. She was assigned to do an article on death row prisoners who had “stopped living.”
“At some point the subject of music came up and I was asked to sing at a prison Christmas concert. While there I spoke with a man on death row and just could not stop crying. I wanted to do more for these people.”
As a result, Helena was asked by Correctional Services to form a choir among mid-security inmates, often interned for politically motivated actions.
“Naively, I thought they would jump at the opportunity but they didn’t. They didn’t trust me at all and it took three years before they did – what a breakthrough.
“The choir progressed, and they even performed in parliament for Nelson Mandela. Soon after that he gave amnesty to many political prisoners and I lost most of my choristers.”
With the help of a prison head, the choir moved to Johannesburg and recruited some maximum security prisoners, who were serving a longer sentence.
“I was there 10 years and never failed to marvel at the men’s commitment. They came to rehearsals at 7am when other inmates were still locked up. Their concerts were a huge success and the choir even released a CD in collaboration with the Correctional Services symphony orchestra made up of staff members.”
New Beginnings
Prior to leaving South Africa, Helena organised a singing competition for prisoners.
“This was unheard of at the time,” she says. “A white woman didn’t work with black male prisoners. That was never an issue for me. I just wanted to make a difference to their lives and for some, the music did.”
Immigrating to New Zealand in 2003, Helena and Johan settled in Auckland where she set up a TV production business securing the contract (among others) for filming and recording the Auckland Business Awards.
In 2016, with age catching up, (marginally) the couple moved to Onemana then, three years later, decided to consider the security, comfort and opportunities afforded by a retirement village. Omokoroa Country Estate won their hearts and they are now both active in the village.
“We love it here but the wider Ōmokoroa community has also proved amazing,” Helena says. “Did you know the Op shop here donates some $100,000 a year to the local community? Then there’s the group which made sandwiches for the choirs during the music festival. Although we paid for this service, the group then donated that money to a girl scout group – how fabulous is that?”
Back On The Beat
While Helena participates in a variety of village activities – she swims several times a week – it is the choir and music which energises her.
“I started with about 20 choristers and now have 32. At the festival, each choir presented its own programme but at the end we formed a massed choir of 180 singers to perform three items – it was wonderful; I couldn’t have been prouder.”
With the festival over, one would think Helena could take a breather but not this energetic woman. Despite arthritis sometimes hampering movement, she is already preparing for the Omokoroa Country Estate choir to sing at Bay of Plenty’s Week of the Aged celebrations in October.
“Leading the choir is never a chore; my passion is to make a difference in life for my community and neighbours. For me, that is what life is about.”
NOTE: The 2024 Music Festival was sponsored by Tauranga City Council with added support from Omokoroa Country Estate, the Coffee Club Omokoroa and Metlifecare. Funds benefited Waipuna Hospice for the terminally ill in Tauranga and the Western Bay or Plenty and also Starjam Charitable Trust which supports the talents of young people with disabilities.
