Our pianists
Jonathan Berkahn (Principal)
Composer, performer, and educator Jonathan Berkahn is an accompanist, soloist, and chamber musician and an experienced choral conductor – of classical (musically literate) choirs and community groups. He has also been active in many folk/traditional bands – Celtic and Eastern European, the Wellington Irish Sessions and is a ceilidh (dance) caller.
He has a degree in composition from Victoria University, an honours degree in performance (organ, harpsichord, and fortepiano), and a PhD in musicology.
Stephen Clothier (Alternate)
Stephen is a pianist, composer and librarian originally from Hastings, Hawke’s Bay. As a composer, he has had works performed or recorded by a diverse array of groups and performers including the NZSO, APO, Stroma, Austrian violinist Barbara Lüneburg, and the AKTO Ensemble in Athens.
He particularly enjoys musical theatre and has worked on many shows in recent years, including the New Zealand premieres of Ordinary Days and Legally Blonde: The Musical, as well as local works. Stephen also sings with Orpheus when he’s not accompanying us.