The Big Sing came to a grand conclusion on Saturday night with a feast of choral singing from the best young choirs in the country at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington.
Watch the Gala Concert at 6.30pm Monday 10 September 2018 on Face TV - Sky Channel 83, following Checkpoint with John Campbell.
The Big Sing Grand Finale ended with a massed choir of all the singers Photo: facebook
The New Zealand Choral Federation organises the annual event, from regional festivals, through to the Finale where the finalists perform two recitals over three days.
There were some big changes in the way The Big Sing was judged this year. For the first time there was no Platinum award - instead all twenty-four choirs in the Finale received a bronze, silver or gold award.
On the adjudication panel were U.S. based kiwi choral director David Childs, Voices New Zealand Music Director Karen Grylls and Chamber Music New Zealand CEO Peter Walls.
David Childs, New Zealand born choral conductor and composer Photo: Supplied
Here are the results of The Big Sing 2018 National Finale Awards from New Zealand Choral Federation:
Gold
• Bel Canto – Burnside High School
• Burnside High School Senior Chorale – Burnside High School
• St Cecilia Singers – Diocesan School for Girls
• Euphony – Kristin School
• Saints Alive – St Cuthbert’s College
• Cantare – Westlake Girls’ High School
Silver
• Fortissimo – Dilworth School
• Paradisum – Epsom Girls’ Grammar School
• Macleans College Chorale – Macleans College
• OK Chorale – Palmerston North Boys’ High School
• Kentoris – Saint Kentigern College
• Amanda – St Margaret’s College and Christ’s College
• Leonessa – Takapuna Grammar School
• Blue Notes – Tawa College
• Con Brio – Villa Maria College
• Wellington College Chorale – Wellington College
• Cantala – Wellington East Girls’ College
Bronze
• Schola – Baradene College of the Sacred Heart
• Animoso – Bethlehem College
• Viva Camerata – Rathkeale College & St Matthew’s Collegiate
• Femme – Southland Girls’ High School
• Black Watch Singers – St Cuthbert’s College
• Sings Hilda – St Hilda’s Collegiate School
• Con Anima – St Patrick’s College, Wellington
There were also special prizes for the best performance of NZ music, art music, and music with a Māori text.
The NZCF/SOUNZ Choral Composition Award
• Fergus Byatt
Hutt City Trophy – Best Performance in category one (New Zealand of Pasifika composition).
• Saints Alive – St Cuthbert’s College (for The Early Morning)
Tour Time Trophy – Best performance in category two (Classical, from medieval to present day, and written for choir or vocal ensemble).
• Bel Canto – Burnside High School (for Valkyrie)
Auahi Kore Performance Award – Best total performance of a work using Māori text.
• Fortissimo – Dilworth School (for E te Atua)
Fortissimo choir leader with Auahi Kore Award Photo: NZCF supplied
The Big Sing Youth Ambassadors Award – For the choir that demonstrates outstanding engagement with all elements of the Finale.
• Leonessa – Takapuna Grammar School
Retiring chief executive Grant Hutchinson was honoured with Lifetime Membership of the Choral Federation for his dedication and passion in his ten years leading the Federation and for building it up to the level where it will now host the Wold Choral Symposium in 2020.
Grant Hutchinson speaks at The Big Sing Gala by video Photo: NZCF supplied
The annual group-singing competition for secondary school students, involving nearly 9500 singers nationwide in 257 separate choirs from across Aotearoa, was live-streamed this year and reached many more thousands at home.
RNZ Concert will broadcast the Gala Concert hosted by Nick Tipping on Thursday 6th September at 7.30pm in Music Alive.
