Songs of the world sung with class
Lower North Island Cadenza Gala Concert Featuring 12 secondary school choirs Royal Whanganui Opera House Tuesday, August 16 Reviewer: Paul Brooks
Every year, choirs from secondary schools nationwide compete in a series of rigorous choral contests. From these competitions come the creme de la creme to showcase themselves in an event called the Cadenza, of which there are three — South Island, Lower North Island, and Upper North Island.
The choirs chosen for each Cadenza have already distinguished themselves in the Big Sing and win themselves a Cadenza place.
There have been three Cadenzas staged in Whanganui at the Opera House, all managed and coordinated by a talented team headed by Edwyna McDonald.
On the final night, by which time the competitions and judging are over, the 12 choirs perform for the public in a Gala Concert.
The choirs were: Ra¯ whiti (Wellington East Girls’ College); AwaSide (Whanganui High School); Ad Lucem (Napier Girls’ High School); Black and Gold Collective (Wellington College); Jubilate (New Plymouth Girls’ High School); Celtic Heart (Taradale High School); Future Prospect (Havelock North High School); Cantatrices (Palmerston North Girls’ High School); Nga¯ Manu Tioriori (Onslow College, Wellington); Con Anima (St Patrick’s College, Wellington); Sinquisition (Nga Tawa Diocesan School, Marton) and Tangiata (Manukura, Palmerston North).
These choirs were at the top of the Lower North Island choirs that competed in the Big Sing. There are about 250 choirs (10,000 singers) throughout New Zealand who compete in the Big Sing, then the top 36 choirs go to the grand finale and the top 12 choirs after that from the Lower North Island, Upper North Island and the South Island go to the Cadenza for their area.
All choirs and their performances in “sessions” were judged by adjudicator Elise Bradley, who also taught them all two songs they would perform as massed choirs at the end of the Gala Concert.
The Opera House was packed with paying patrons upstairs and choirs downstairs, the latter rigged out in school uniforms or an adaptation of that for their performance. To present each choir and their item was John Peill.
And so it began, with each choir presenting one song and each providing their own accompanist — often a music teacher, but sometimes a gifted student, and usually fronted by their director or conductor, in most cases a teacher.
The variety was far beyond what I expected, with songs from all over the world presented with class by choirs of a very high standard.
From a strong performance of a song from Tokelau, to the unusually complex presentation of a Moravian mountain song, the diversity of selections was a credit to the choirs and their versatility. From sacred to overtly secular — like an all-male performance of Carl Perkins’ Daddy Sang Bass — the songs had multiple effects on the appreciative audience, who responded with expressions of delight and awe throughout.
The standard of accompaniment was high, with most choirs singing to the Opera House grand piano, with the occasional addition of a bass or acoustic guitar and, in one case, finger cymbals to highlight sections, and, in another, a tea chest bass.
Voices were used to their best advantage, some schools having to make the most of allmale or all-female voices. One all-male choir still provided a variety of tones by using bass/ baritone and some falsetto (or unbroken) voices.
The purpose of this review is not to judge the choirs, as that was done efficiently by a qualified adjudicator, but to convey an impression of a wonderful concert. After 12 choirs, 12 songs, representatives of the choirs assembled on stage for prizegiving, after which all the choristers and their school support formed one large choir, singing two songs — Skye Boat Song and Ka Waiata Ki a Maria — under the direction of Elise Bradley. Their performances and the applause that followed threatened to lift the roof.
It was a concert of many emotions and an indication that choral music is alive in New Zealand schools. The high standards of the singing, the sharp visual presentation and the obvious joy felt by each chorister was reflected in the audience appreciation.