TGS Represents Big at the Big Sing!
Takapuna Grammar School has once again achieved fantastic results at the annual Big Sing Festival - New Zealand’s premiere schools choir competition. All four of the TGS choirs; Taka Crooners, Sultans of Sing, TGS Chorale, and Leonessa, were among 68 choirs who competed at the Auckland Regional event on 21 June 2023, held at the Auckland Town Hall. Each choir was required to perform a repertoire of three songs including one piece by a New Zealand composer, a Choral Art piece, and one song of the Director’s choice.
The TGS choirs all received wonderful feedback from the Festival adjudication team, and Leonessa, our treble voices choir, was honoured to receive the Runner Up Award for a 'Commendable Festival Recital Programme' for an Upper Voice Choir. In addition, Year 11 TGS student Queenie Qiu won the award for 'Best Piano Accompaniment' from a secondary school student for her work with the Sultans of Sing.
Leonessa
The Auckland Regional Big Sing was the last in a series of events that took place across the country throughout the month of June. In total, 279 choirs competed in the Festival, and their performances were each judged according to the same strict set of criteria. Following the final Regional event in Auckland, the overall scores were tallied and the national results were announced on Monday 26 June.
Takapuna Grammar was delighted to learn that Leonessa, as well as our mixed choir, TGS Chorale, have been named among the country’s top 24 school choirs. This means they will both compete in the prestigious Finale event which will take place during the last weekend of August. The two choirs have not attended the Finale together since 2019, and the achievement is made more remarkable because it is a rare distinction for a single school to have two choirs selected as finalists.
Chorale
The students are excited to be continuing Takapuna Grammar School’s legacy of choral excellence, and they have set their sights on repeating the success of last year’s Finale when Leonessa won a Gold Award, as well as the Hutt City Trophy for the Best Performance of a NZ Composition. With the continued support and expertise of their dedicated choir directors; Ms Keani Taruia-Pora, Ms Elise Bradley, and Mx Takerei Komene, as well as the Head of the Performing Arts Department, Ms Lauren Raby, we know these exceptional students will be working hard to deliver more first-class performances.
We wish them the very best of luck.
