On Monday 12 June, Polyhymnia, the joint Queen's and King’s choir had the chance to attend the Big Sing for 2023.

Polyhymnia consists of Year 9 to 13 students, who all have one thing in common: the love of singing.

We competed against 13 school choirs in the Otago and South Canterbury area, performing three songs overall. The songs we performed were: E Pari Ra, Do Not Stand and Weep, and Wannabe. 

We won two trophies on the night for our performances of Wannabe and E Pari Ra. The John Leslie Trophy for Choral Excellence and The Big Sing Otago-South Canterbury Region Best performance of a piece in Te Reo Māori. This is the first time this has been awarded.  We also received two highly commended awards with our classical piece Do Not Stand and Weep and E Pari Ra.

Overall, we all worked really hard for the opportunity to perform and had a lot of fun along the way. We can not wait to do it all again next year. Here are some quotes from the students after the event:

“It was really fun and exciting but nerve wrenching. I definitely learned more from other choirs and I can’t wait to do it all again next year.” Namitha Pillai, Year 10.

“I think Big Sing was a great experience for me, I had such a fun time on stage and behind the scenes. I look forward to it again next year!” Jessica Johnson, Year 10.

“The Big Sing was a great opportunity to hear and learn from the performances of other secondary school choirs. Putting into practice what we had rehearsed and doing so well was very rewarding for my final Big Sing.” Chloe Gray, Year 13. 

Polyhymnia would like to thank the Scenic Hotel, Dunedin City for hosting the students and teachers during the day. It made a significant difference to have a place to stay in between the performances at the Town Hall.

Queen's would also like to thank Musical Directors Dale Irvine and Kris White and Accompanist Jo Dryden for all their support of our Polyhymnia rangatahi.