Manawatū-Whanganui Big Sing Secondary Schools Choirs Festival to be held in Palmerston North

MANifesto Choir from Palmerston North Boys' High School in rehearsal with director Graeme Young.

On June 15, the Big Sing Secondary Schools Choirs Festival for Manawatū-Whanganui returns to Palmerston North.

Sixteen choirs from 10 schools involving 520 singers will take part.

This Big Sing regional festival is one of 11 such events being held throughout New Zealand in June under the auspices of the New Zealand Choral Federation.

This festival will feature choirs from Manawatū, Whanganui, Horowhenua, Rangitīkei and Wairarapa. The choirs range in size from 16 to 110 singers.

The morning session starts at 10am and the afternoon session at 2pm. Each choir is encouraged to present one piece by a New Zealand composer or arranger. The festival provides a wide-ranging programme of choral pieces, including te reo Māori, that will captivate and entertain.

At the 7pm Gala Concert, each choir will present one item.

The adjudicator this year is Peter Walls. He has been a guest conductor for many New Zealand choirs and was music director of the Nota Bene Chamber Choir from 2016 to 2020. He has been the music director of Opus Orchestra since 2004 and has conducted the NZSO and the NZSO National Youth Orchestra.

Walls is Emeritus Professor of Music at Victoria University of Wellington and was awarded the ONZM for services to New Zealand music in 2012.

He is one of three choral experts travelling the country from Whangārei to Invercargill who together will select the best 24 choirs to compete at the Big Sing National Finale in the Auckland Town Hall in August.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School was represented at the finale in 2022. A further 12 choirs will be selected from the lower half of the North Island to compete in Cadenza, held in the Royal Whanganui Opera House on August 17 and 18.

Tickets to the Gala Concert are waged $25, unwaged $20 and students and children $10. Buy tickets at premier.ticketek.co.nz.

The Details

What: The Big Sing

When: Thursday, June 15, 10am, 2pm, 7pm

Where: Regent on Broadway

Tickets: morning and afternoon sessions $5 at the door.