Kaitaia College choir perform at Auckland Big Sing event

Kaitaia College's first choir in 26 years, Ngā Reo ō Kaitaia, performed at the Big Sing regional festival at Auckland Town Hall last week. Photo/Supplied

Despite only having had four weeks to practise, a Far North school choir has delivered a standout performance at a prestigious choral competition last week in Auckland.

So good was the singing, in fact, they received a Highly Commended certificate for their performance at the festival.

Kaitaia College choir — Ngā Reo ō Kaitaia is the school's first choir in 26 years and proudly took to the stage at their first-ever Big Sing choral competition last Wednesday.

The Big Sing 2022 regional festivals were held between June 9-16 in cities across the country, with 34 schools performing at the Auckland-Northland event at the Auckland Town Hall.

Ngā Reo ō Kaitaia choir is made up of 30 students ranging from Years 10-13 who practise once a week and individually in music classes.

Their performance at The Big Sing event was also their first-ever performance together as a collective after running out of time to do a group practice performance beforehand.

The singing competition was also a first for Kaitaia College student Cariss Strong-Puckett, who said she had no previous choir experience prior to joining the group just weeks ago.

She said it had been a thrill to experience something like The Big Sing event and was looking forward to continuing her singing into the future.

"This is my first year doing choir and I'm super happy I got to be involved. I've always loved singing and it has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember," Strong-Puckett said.

"When our teacher Dr Opeloge Ah Sam asked me if I'd like to sing a piece of the song solo I was so overjoyed.

"The whole experience was so incredible, with so many emotions running through me as I walked onto the stage, I can't describe how amazing it was. Bring on The Big Sing 2023!"

Ngā Reo ō Kaitaia performed two pieces at the festival — Fallen in Love (featuring several student soloists) and Aue te Aroha, a waiata arranged by choral director Dr Opeloge Ah Sam for the choir to sing and actions choreographed by some of the choir's senior students.

Ah Sam is a legend in his own right and is renowned not only in the Far North but around the country for his passion for choirs and choral direction.

He has worked in a range of school and higher education settings and taken different choirs to various different competitions over the years.

Before his move to Kaitaia College, Ah Sam worked at Abundant Life School, where he directed the school's Ministry of Voice choir.

That choir also performed at last year's Big Sing 2021 competition and were awarded a special award at the Gala performance night event.

Ah Sam is now a Kaitaia College Music and Arts teacher and Year 10 Dean/Manukura and said he had big plans to take this choir to the next level.

"Our goal, this year being our first year, was for our students to understand what the Big Sing was, to experience it and learn about what it takes to do well," he said.

The Ngā Reo ō Kaitaia choir members take to the stage in Auckland. Photo/Supplied

"Our goal for 2023 is to hopefully make the national finals, which will be held in Wellington next September.

"We have had several invites to sing at various events and places here in the Far North, however our focus is to keep developing, keep getting better and to try building more repertoire so that we can sing more often and longer at community events and school performances in the future."

Ah Sam said he would be putting forward some of the Kaitaia College singers to audition for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir which he believed would be an amazing experience and would also help support the choir.

In addition to his work at Kaitaia College, Ah Sam continues to direct his Kaitaia Community Voices Choir.

The choir sang at the 2021 New Zealand Choral Federation Conference and is planning to travel to Wellington to perform a concert with the Wellington Community Choir later this year.

"Choirs are a great way to bring people together and a great way for individuals who are usually shy to build their confidence in singing as performing in a choir is usually a stress-free and friendly environment," Ah Sam said.

"I used to hate choirs when I was younger because they were boring, so I try and set up my choirs differently with a focus on enjoyment and learning while having fun."

The co-ordinator of the Auckland Big Sing event, Eveline Harvey, said it was exciting to have Kaitaia College represented at the festival.

She said she hoped the reception they received would encourage other Northland choirs to consider participating.

"After the difficult few years we've all had with various Covid-19 restrictions, it was really uplifting to see so many choirs come together to share their music," Harvey said.

"It's difficult to describe the atmosphere at The Big Sing if you haven't experienced it yourself, but one of the things I find most rewarding in this role is the support all the choirs give to one another.

"Of course, there's a competitive element to the festival, but more than that, it's a celebration of youth and of the joy of singing and that really came through strongly this year."

While in Auckland, the Kaitaia College choir members visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, received a backstage Tour of Spark Arena and visited the Dali Exhibition led by former children's TV star and host Suzy Cato.