St Hilda’s called up
A DUNEDIN school has won a surprise callup to one of the biggest secondary school musical events in the country.
St Hilda’s Collegiate School’s Sings Hilda choir has been selected to compete at The Big Sing finale in Wellington at the end of next month.
The choir replaces Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, of Christchurch, which had initially been selected but could not accept the invitation. St Hilda’s was one of six schools on the reserves list.
‘‘To be invited . . . was completely unexpected,’’ choir codirector Michael Grant said.
‘‘Noone declined the invitation, so it was fantastic.’’
Mr Grant said the girls would ‘‘absolutely’’ be prepared for the competition, despite their late promotion.
The Big Sing national coordinator Elizabeth Crayford said St Hilda’s won selection because it replaced another allgirl school.
‘‘From time to time, a school is unable to accept the invitation for a range of reasons.’’
All schools involved in the finale were rigorously judged at their respective regional events by a panel of adjudicators, Ms Crayford said.
The last time St Hilda’s competed in The Big Sing finale was in 2016.
Dunstan High School (Alexandra) represented Otago in the competition last year and Bayfield High School was listed as a reserve.
The 2018 finale will take place in Wellington from August 30 to September 1. Dunedin is scheduled to host the event next year.