Are you a singer or an instrumentalist? Are you reasonably good at it…or even better?

If you are then we would love for you to audition for us and be part of this amazing experience. The Music Festival is a huge extravaganza featuring over 4000 students that takes place over 3 nights at the Horncastle Arena in late October. Students in the Representative Groups perform every night.

In our Music Festival we have four Representative Groups which are the Junior Choir, Senior Choir, the Concert Band and the Symphony Orchestra. These groups play a very important role in the Festival and the experience of being on stage with thousands of people watching you and a thousand massed choir students singing along with you is truly amazing.

As with Canterbury representative sports teams, you are chosen because you are good and have real potential. For the choir, you need to be able to sing in tune and being able to read music is an advantage. If you play an instrument, you probably need to have been playing for several years and, if exams apply to your instrument, a rough guide would be around Grade 5 for strings and Grade 4 for woodwind, brass and percussion. Obviously, many of you will be above this standard but this allows for people who may not have taken exams but are actually good players. If in doubt, ask your teachers - they know the standard that we are looking for.

We only select between 80 to 100 students per group. This is done through an Audition process.

If you do get in you need to be aware that you must attend rehearsals in August and September and then attend a three-day Holiday Course in the first week of the Term 3 holidays. You will learn so much and make lots of new friends. Details are on our website.

Even if your school does not have a choir in the festival this year you can still apply for an audition for any of the Representative Groups.

This is the pinnacle of musical achievement in Christchurch Primary and Intermediate school music. For more details see the Festival website www.musicfestival.school.nz.

You can only apply for an audition through the website, and applications close on the last day of Term 1.

We hope to meet you soon.