Small Taranaki women’s choir heading off to the Olympics of singing
“It started as women who were my singing pupils, but now we are far more than a choir, we are a group of friends.”
Lisa Rangi
A small Taranaki women’s choir united by friendship and song will take part in the Olympics of singing in July.
The 14 members of Ombre, led by singing teacher Lisa Rangi, will join more than 250 choirs from around the world at the World Choir Games, the world’s largest choral festival and competition, which is being held in Auckland.
They will be among 10,000 choristers and their families from nearly 50 countries.
The women will sing a set of four songs, two that are a capella (unaccompanied) and two that have backing tracks.
Some of their performances will be on the street.
Rangi started Ombre, which means colours progressively blending together, about eight years ago.
They sing a variety of styles: contemporary, musical theatre, gospel, choral and folk.
Members’ ages range from early 20s to mid 70s, and they are chosen for how they fit into the group, not just their singing ability, she said.
“It started as women who were my singing pupils, but now we are far more than a choir, we are a group of friends. “We share more than just singing. “I have had people tell me they can hear that special love we have for one another. It does enhance our singing.”
They get together for two or three hours every Saturday to rehearse.
“We are very committed to taking care of each other, we’re a little community,” Rangi said.
“Many of us have gone through hard times, all the trials and hardships of life, and we’re there to support each other.”
Rangi said her group would be dwarfed by other choirs of up to 120, with singing styles including pop, jazz, barbershop and gospel to traditional and indigenous music.
“We’ll be rubbing shoulders with some really talented choirs from around the world,” Ombre member Hannah Taylor, who works in IT and programming, said. “When you get it right, it’s magic.” Rangi, who grew up in Eltham, has spent her adult life performing and teaching singing, and is a past president of the New Zealand Association of Teachers of Singing.
And she wears hearing aids to help her deal with hearing loss that started when she was 28.
“It was professionally life challenging, but I believe it’s made me a better teacher. I watch my pupils more, their posture, any tension in their body,” she said.
When singing, she said she focuses on what she can feel, as well as what she can hear.
“I rely on how my larynx feels, the vibration in my face, it has made me so aware of that,” she said.
“I’ll ask my pupils how does that feel, can you feel the vibrations.
“You’re working with an invisible instrument, you can’t see it.”