From toe-tapping tangos to the more serious requiems, secondary school choirs from Otago and South Canterbury showed off a variety of musical styles at the Big Sing at the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday.
The New Zealand Choral Federation Secondary Schools Choral Festival regional competition attracted 20 choirs and was adjudicated by Stephen Rowe.
Three choirs were highly commended - Otago Boys' and Otago Girls' high schools' combined choir Barock, Otago Boys' High School Choir and Craighead Diocesan's Craighead Choir.
Four others were commended - Columba College's Cantus Columba, Otago Girls' Southern Hesperides and Otago Boys' and Otago Girls' high schools' combined choir Tutti.
Big Sing co-ordinator Carole Randall said the performances were of a very high standard with the singers continuing to grow.
"Particularly impressive this year was how they sang from the heart not just the words."
The adjudicators of the regional competitions would meet next week to select the top 18 choirs and four guest choirs.
Their selection would be announced on June 25.
Also awarded at last night's gala concert were the winners of the Millennium Trophy for best pre-1930s European song, Barock Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs (Handel); Dunedin College of Education Trophy for best performance of a New Zealand song, Craighead Chorale I Am Not Yours (David Childs); John Leslie Trophy for choral excellence, Otago Boys' Choir Masochism Tango (Tom Lehrer); Isabel Chetwin Trophy for most improved choir, jointly awarded, John McGlashan High School Choir and Kavanagh College Choir. Conductor's prize Julian van Mellaerts, John McGlashan, and Daniel Kelly, Kavanagh College.
Photos by Gregor Richardson; prints available from otagoimages.co.nz.
