The chamber music competition is an annual event that encourages secondary school students to get into small groups and perform a variety of music. 

Many students at Logan Park competed in this years’ district competition, both for an opportunity to perform and for NCEA as a group performance assessment. Lots of the orchestra and jazz band members, as well as other musical students, got into groups both within school and outside of school for this event, totalling 10 groups from LPHS in all.

There were varying levels of achievement from Logan Park groups but two groups achieved with particular success. ‘Soup’, a brass quartet containing Ben Dubyk, Desiree Heinze-Farrington, Finn McKinlay and Colin Macandrew, got through to the district final and won the KBB music award for their performance. When asked for a quote about the chamber music competition, Ben simply said; “Oh no”. Another group that achieved exceptionally was Cameron Monteath’s group, Aurora Verde, containing Cameron as well as Rose and Sarah (both OGHS), whom he met through previous groups and the Dunedin Youth Orchestra. Aurora Verde won the district final and got through to the regional final in Christchurch, placing them in the top 36 teams in the country. I also asked Cameron for a quote and he said; “Right before we went on the stage Sarah said, ‘think of the sunset’.” I think this quote describes for a lot of us musicians what performance is like and the different emotions that come with a competition.

Overall, the chamber music competition was as positive experience for those who got to participate. It is an excellent opportunity for students to develop their performance skills and group-work ability, as well as a new experience and a chance for assessment in a different environment.