Burnside High School’s Senior Chorale went above and beyond expectations, this year, producing a sound quality which can be compared with that of professionals.

This year Senior Chorale had a focus towards the Big Sing National Competition. In early June we entered the Big Sing Regional Competition, performing three pieces which showcased our skill and teamwork. This performance won us our ticket to the Big Sing Nationals in Wellington, along with awards for ‘Outstanding Performance of a New Zealand Competition’ and ‘Outstanding Performance by a Mixed Voice Choir’ and the trophy for “Best Overall Performance of a New Zealand Work at the Big Sing Canterbury and West Coast Competition”.

Senior Chorale’s major event for this year occurred in August when we traveled up to Wellington to take part in the Big Sing Finale alongside 24 other choirs. This was a very rewarding opportunity as it allowed us as a choir to bond with one another and with the other schools performing alongside us. For the Finale, we added two more challenging works to our repertoire, one being Eric Whitacre’s arrangement of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy the Silence’. The hard work and incredible talent showcased by the choir saw us receive a Gold Award at the closing ceremony of the Competition, an award we were extremely grateful to have been given.

Our last performance of the year was at Burnside High School’s annual Choral Extravaganza, where we were able to reflect on the year and how far we had come since the beginning of it, through music. Through this concert we were able to finish the year on a high note, delivering a stellar performance and giving the Year 13 members a well-deserved send-off.

Every year Senior Chorale becomes a new choir, with old friends leaving and new ones coming in. 2018’s Senior Chorale has been one which was established with friendship, laughter and good memories. I was and am still extremely grateful for being able to act as the Student Leader for such a talented and wholesome group of people and thank them for creating and safe and fun environment which allowed us to reach and surpass our potential.

It has been another brilliant year for Senior Chorale, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.