Whanganui High School choir ready for Cadenza

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The Big Sing is New Zealand's largest choral event and has been run by the New Zealand Choral Federation for more than 25 years.

Some 250 secondary school choirs, about 10,000 singers, entered regional competitions in 10 centres, with the top 24 choirs selected for the National Finale and a further 36 choirs for Cadenza.

TSB Cadenza is new and takes place over two days in three centres, blending a formal, adjudicated competition with combined workshops and culminating in a concert. Whanganui hosts the qualifying Lower North Island choirs. The AwaSide Choir from Whanganui High School, directed by Roz Armstrong, has been selected and 11 other choirs will come from Palmerston North, East Coast, Wellington, Kāpiti and New Plymouth. The choirs’ pieces are wide-ranging in style, from jazz, gospel and pop through to folk and classical music. At the Gala Concert on Tuesday night, 20 August, 7pm, at The Royal Wanganui Opera House, each choir will showcase an item from their Cadenza repertoire and a massed choir of more than 330 voices will perform at the end.

AwaSide comprises about 32 Whanganui High School choristers.

“For the Big Sing we had to sing in three different sections,” says accompanist and assistant director Joanna Love. Included was a waiata written by the late Morvin Simon.

“We’re in the competitive section, and while we didn’t get to go to the final in Dunedin, we get to go to the second tier Cadenza.

“This is the first time Whanganui High School has been in the Big Sing. Prior to that the school had ‘show’ choirs, so it was a big thing to do. It extended the students and they rose to the occasion, managing to get into the Cadenza.”

AwaSide will perform three songs from the Big Sing as well as an arrangement of Eleanor Rigby.

Joanna plays piano for two of the pieces and student accompanist is Aj Malili-MaliLauano.

Whanganui Midweek 14/8/19


(*) Last Reviewed: August 14, 2019

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