Our choirs performed at the Big Sing Regionals in Nelson on 9th June with Ovation taking out two awards and gaining selection to compete at the South Island Cadenza finale.

At the Big Sing Regionals, Ovation won both the categories they were entered in.

• 1st in the Choral Art Music with The Seal Lullaby and
• 1st in The Conductor's Choice with Baba Yetu sung in Swahili.

Ovation were also announced the Spirit of the Festival winners. This recognizes the choir that displays a supportive and friendly attitude to all participating choirs and embraces the culture of the Big Sing and what it stands for:

• Excellence in performance, presentation, leadership, and a sense of community.

As a result of the choir’s excellent performance, they have now been selected to compete at the South Island Cadenza finale. This is where twelve of the best choirs throughout the South Island are selected to compete against each other as part of The New Zealand Choral Federation’s The Big Sing Choral Festival.

Ovation will travel to Timaru in mid-August to take on these other very talented choirs. They will be required to sing three songs from stipulated categories, NZ or Pasifika Composition, Choral Art Music and Directors Choice. The competition will culminate with a gala concert performance in the Timaru Basilica on Saturday evening when the adjudicator will present awards to the various choirs.

Congratulations to all our performers and a big thank you to the many staff and others in our community who continue to support them in their endeavours.

Thanks to Robin Randall, our Choir Director for Ovation and Linda Holdaway, Choir Director for Crescentia.