OUR MUSIC DIRECTOR
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INGRID SCHOENFELD (2025 - Current)Cantoris welcomes Ingrid Schoenfeld as our new Music Director.
With over a decade of teaching experience, and years spent singing with, accompanying, and conducting choirs - Ingrid is a classical pianist, teacher, and conductor with a heartfelt passion for performance, education, and creating impactful, meaningful musical experiences that resonate with everyone. Hailing from Minneapolis, USA, Ingrid earned her first-class honours degree from the New Zealand School of Music in piano performance under the tutelage of Richard Mapp as well as Dr. Jian Liu, and studied conducting under Kenneth Young. She played in masterclasses for Diedre Irons, Janos Cegledy, Paul Rickard-Ford, Natalia Sheludiakova, and the New Zealand String Quartet, among others. Ingrid also studied harpsichord for three years under prominent early music specialists Dr Erin Helyard and Douglas Mews. In 2016, Ingrid made her orchestral debut with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra, playing Shostakovich’s 2nd piano concerto. Ingrid has conducted and accompanied multiple choirs around Wellington, including the Northern Chorale, St. James church choir, St. Mary of the Angels Youth Choir, and has been Music Director of the Festival Singers since 2019. Ingrid have sung with the St. Mary of the Angels church choir, the Wellington Cathedral Choir under Michael Stewart, and was a reserve member in the New Zealand Youth Choir. In addition to conducting, performing regularly in solo, chamber and choral concerts, Ingrid also runs a successful teaching studio. |
OUR accompanist
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HEATHER EASTING (2025 - Current)In 2025, Cantoris also welcomed Heather Easting as our choir’s accompanist.
Heather pursues a wide variety of musical interests as a collaborative pianist, organist, conductor, piano teacher, and singer. Her love of choral music began at age seven as a chorister at Wellington Cathedral of Paul, where she was later Dean’s Organ Scholar and Sub Organist. She spent 2 years as Director of Music at St James Church Lower Hutt, and served as Acting Director at St Barnabas Church Roseneath for several years. Heather spent two years in the UK as Organ Scholar at Exeter Cathedral and Croydon Minster in London. During her time there she was Graduate Music Assistant at Whitgift School, accompanist for Exeter University’s Chapel Choir and Choral Society, played for a BBC Radio 3 live broadcast Evensong, and presented solo recitals at the Two Moors Festival in Devon. Heather has worked as an accompanist with choral institutions all over NZ, including Gisborne Choral Society, Blenheim Choral Society, New Zealand Choral Federation, Wairarapa Singers, Kapiti Chorale, Festival Singers, Local Vocals, Northern Chorale, and Inspirare. She was a repetiteur for New Zealand Opera, and pianist for Wellington Chamber Orchestra. She is currently the accompanist for Nota Bene and the choirs at Queen Margaret College. Heather holds a BMus in Musicology with First Class Honours from the New Zealand School of Music, where she tutored keyboard skills and theory for several years, and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from Victoria University of Wellington. |
PAST MUSIC DIRECTORS
Music directors who have led Cantoris since it's inception in 1971 - click here >>