The Toronto Children’s Chorus is honoured and thrilled to congratulate Artistic Director Elise Bradley who has been recently named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM), ‘for services to Music’ during her distinguished 40-year career. Ms. Bradley’s award, recently approved by Queen Elizabeth II, has just been published in New Zealand in the 2018 New Year Royal Honours List. A passionate and powerful force in the growth of choral music in New Zealand and, for the past ten years, in Canada, she is held in very high regard internationally as a conductor, educator, clinician, and adjudicator.
For three decades in her homeland, Ms. Bradley was a respected and visionary leader, helping found and sustain both the New Zealand Choral Federation and the country’s important cultural choral festival, Sing Aotearoa. As the Director of two award-winning choirs, Key Cygnetures and the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, she collaborated closely with local composers, commissioned and premiered new works and, in partnership with indigenous composers and dancers, promoted the notation and performance of traditional Maori works to wide acclaim. She was especially moved and humbled to be named a Kaumātua by her Maori colleagues, who ‘gifted’ their music to her to perform. Ms. Bradley was also recognized in the field of education, receiving both Regional and National Awards for Excellence in Secondary Teaching.
Badge of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Elise Bradley continues to devote her life to music education for children and, through her local, national and international presence, to promote excellence in the art of choral music. The Toronto Children’s Chorus extends warmest congratulations to Elise Bradley, MNZM!