Highly Commended, the highest category a choir can receive

On June the 14th, the King’s and Queen’s combined choir, Polyhymnia, went to the Town Hall to partake in a day of singing. 

17 different choirs from across Otago performed throughout the day, each choir singing three songs, carefully chosen to match the three categories. Not only was it an amazing opportunity to show off our own hard work and talents but it was also a delight to be able to hear and learn from the other choirs that performed.

Personally, this year’s Big Sing was a phenomenal experience for me. After missing out on last year’s competition due to Covid 19, I was excited to finally be able to head back into the event and relive the joyous moments I experienced during the 2019 Big Sing. 

This year’s Big Sing was also very special because it was the first year since I’ve been in the choir, that we’ve entered and sung as a combined choir with Queen’s. Joining up with the girls gave us better options for vocal harmonies and arrangement. It was also incredible to get to know people who I hadn't met before, both from Queen's as well as the new members from King's own choir; Acafellas.

In the show itself, Polyhymnia performed exceptionally well this year, boasting three major awards. We were awarded “Highly Commended”, the highest category a choir can receive. 

• We were placed first in category 1, New Zealand Composition/Arrangement as well as a combined “Most Promising Student Conductor” Award between myself and our incredibly talented accompanist, Emmanuel Keane.

Overall the entire event was a huge success and went better than I could have possibly imagined. I can only hope that Polyhymnia will continue to sing and improve throughout the rest of this year.  "We will be primed and ready to pack a punch in next year’s Big Sing".

Thank you to everyone that contributed and supported us.

Nikhil Rawat