CHRIS BRUERTON
Coming Home to where his global career began
The saying “If you can dream it, you can do it” could be the mantra of Christchurch-born baritone Chris Bruerton, whose dream took him across the world and onto its greatest stages.
Next month, Chris will come home for a concert in front of people who’ve supported him at every stage, including his 14 years as a member of The King’s Singers.
Chris’s stellar career began in the Christchurch Cathedral Choir. He vividly recalls being a young boy at a service, enchanted by the choral singing and telling his parents he wanted to do what he heard.
As a boy chorister, Choral Scholar and Lay Clerk, Chris sang in the Cathedral choir almost every day for 15 years, alongside teaching music at Burnside High School in the latter years.
In 2010, taking the advice he gave his students to follow their musical dreams, he bought a one-way ticket to England to become a professional singer. A year later, he was invited to audition for The King’s Singers and became the first non-Brit selected for the prestigious six-man group.
For almost 60 years, The King’s Singers have been acknowledged as the gold standard in a cappella singing. The group is famous for brilliant versatility across various musical styles, performing and recording intricate arrangements with flawless harmony, including some with wit and whimsy.
As he prepares to leave the group, Chris says he’s thankful for his years in it.
“I am enormously grateful for this musical experience. I’ve travelled the world to sing in places I once only dreamed of. I will never forget the day I stood outside Carnegie Hall in New York, about to sing on the stage Frank Sinatra sang on.
“I’ve sung more than 1300 concerts in wonderful concert halls across six continents, but I’ll always be a Cantabrian. I’m excited to sing in the Christchurch Town Hall, where I’ve performed dozens of times in the past, but never with this group.”
As he prepares for his next stage, he’s considering opportunities in music, teaching and business, and looking forward to more time at home with wife Liz, whom his travel has often taken him away from.
Chris has always encouraged new musicians to explore their potential.
“I get a real buzz from helping musicians pursue their dreams, and enjoy the educational work we do with singers around the world as we travel,” he says.
“I’ve met a lot of people over the years, but I’m particularly excited about coming home to sing for, and be surrounded by, people who made me who I am today. They say it takes a village to raise a child and my village certainly was with me along the way. It’s been a wild ride at times, but I know where I’ve come from.
“Family, friends and former colleagues will be in the Christchurch audience - and possibly a young singer who will pester their parents, just as I did, to help them find a stage to sing on.”
If you want to see the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble The King’s Singers return to Christchurch Town Hall for a night of extraordinary music-making on 11 March 2026. GET TICKETS HERE