Musical Success in Blenheim.

Papanui High School's Big Band No. 1 and Big Band No. 2 recently showcased their talents at the Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival in Blenheim. The festival brought together young musicians from across the South Island for a series of workshops, performances, and competitions.

Despite some members of both students and staff battling illnesses throughout the trip, our musicians performed exceptionally well. The festival provided a fantastic platform for our students to perform in a variety of settings, including public gigs, school performances, and the grand Gala Finale at the ASB Theatre.

Under the expert guidance of Georgina Rees-Stevenson, and with the dedicated support of staff members Joe Thomas, Lorne Joblin, Louisa Clissold, and Cyan Thorburn, both bands delivered outstanding performances. Their hard work and resilience paid off, with Big Band No. 1 taking home a Silver award and Big Band No. 2 earning a Bronze.

A huge congratulations to all our students for their commitment and for representing Papanui High School with such distinction.

Elena Ashmore, Georgia Bennetts, Elisabeth Cox, Devi Dextar, Ella Grocott, Louis Harman, Reka Harvey, Sam Hawkes, Guy Herrick, Will Hipkins, Zehba Husein, Nate Lane, Arch Lyell, Ruby-May Maddock, Gryffyn Miles, Kokoro Nakagawa, Minori Naoi, Ella Ralfe, Jessica Rivett, Ellie Roberts, Noah Sheedy, Yui Tanaka, Mica Temple, Kieran Watson, Alex Zhou.

Their performances were a testament to their passion and skill. We are incredibly proud of their achievements!