Hasting Choral Society’s upcoming Autumn Glory concert combines the traditional Fauré’s Requiem with the modern jazz-inspired Missa Brevis Akarana by Aucklander Chris Artley promises to be a pleasing, vibrant and inspiring programme. It is certainly appropriate for autumn with its changes. Gabriel Fauré composed his Requiem in D minor, Op. 48, between 1887 and 1890. He wrote of the work, "Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest." Chris Artley’s modern upbeat Missa Brevis Akarana was commissioned by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra in 2016 under the direction of Peter Thomas. It reflects his interest in classical church repertoire and jazz and is a very lively short mass. The name of the work can be interpreted as ‘a short mass for Auckland’. Hastings Choral will be accompanied by Wellington organist Max Toth with Alice Sip on the violin. Max Toth recently graduated with First Class Honours from Te Kōkī New Zealand School of music, Victoria University of Wellington. He has also been recently appointed as Sub-Organist of the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul. Max has had the opportunity to perform in concerts around New Zealand and Europe with particular highlights of performing in the Auckland Town Hall, at the New Zealand Organ Festival, and with the NZSO. Alice Sip is a violinist/violist and entrepreneur with a distinguished career in classical music. She is the current President of Hawke’s Bay Orchestra and a Director of Festival Opera. The soloists singing with the choir for this concert are local soprano Madeleine Anderson and baritone Ray Seymour.