TGS choirs make the grade for elite showcase

the same venue in August

Two Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) choirs will compete in the Big Sing Finale, the country’s largest and most prestigious choral competition.

Girls choir Leonessa and mixed-voice Chorale were picked for the event, which features the nation’s top 24 choirs chosen from regional competitions.

Students were excited to be continuing a TGS legacy of choral excellence, the head of school’s performing-arts department, Lauren Raby, said.

Westlake Boys and Girls High Schools are the only other schools with more than one choir in the Finale, at which Leonessa attained a gold award last year and a trophy for the best performance of a New Zealand composition.

This year’s event is at the Auckland Town Hall over 25-27 August. The venue also hosted the Auckland qualifiers last month, at which Leonessa was judged runner-up for its festival recital programme for an upper-voices choir.

Taka Crooners and Sultans of Swings also performed among the 68 choirs at the Auckland qualifiers. Although neither was selected for nationals, Queenie Qiu, a Year 11 member of Sultans of Sing, won an award for best piano accompaniment at the event.

Big Sing has been running for more than 30 years. It is held in 10 centres, involving nearly 300 choirs. Below the Finale level, the Choral Federation also runs Cadenza festivals, with performances for the upper and lower North Island and the South Island.