Simon Curnow is the first student from St Bede's College to make the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir. He spent his April school holidays in Wellington making music and new friends.

I auditioned for the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir (NZSSC) in October last year and was accepted into the choir for the next two years. I have been so excited since. During the Term 1 April holidays, myself and 55 other secondary students from across New Zealand gathered in Wellington for the very first NZSSC 2023-2024 course. It was a week of meeting great new people and learning music as a group.

After hopping off the plane in the capital and getting into the shuttle bound for Wellington College, I was extremely nervous. Stepping into Firth Hall it seemed everyone in the choir already knew someone from their school. Being the first one from St Bede’s College to ever make it into the national choir, it is safe to say I felt a bit out of my depth. This was quickly resolved in the first couple of hours, however, as I found out everyone was nervous, whether they already knew someone or not. After breaking the ice and forming some friendships, by the end of the second day it seemed like everyone had been friends for years. This made rehearsals and making music so much easier.

A Holy Trinity of three music directors were there every day teaching and helping us sing and learn the music. Alongside them were two hauora and wellbeing managers, who helped with any other issues. We also had an NZSSC manager who did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to ensure everything went smoothly.

The whole week was well planned and not a minute was wasted - starting at 9:30am and going until 6:30 or 8:30pm. Some nights we wouldn’t leave Wellington College until 9:15pm. At first glance it seemed like quite an effort for an entire week, but regular breaks over the day made it a lot easier. Some nights we had dinner at the College followed by a social night. These were enjoyed by all.

I won’t say too much about our repertoire for this year, other than that it touches all corners of the world - Samoan, Māori, African, German, French, Latin, Spanish, and English. With a South Island tour coming up in September/October this year and Christchurch as one of the stops along the way, I encourage you to keep an eye out for this phenomenal choir which showcases some of the amazing talented secondary students in New Zealand.

For now, it’s back to school. I am continuing to learn in our St Bede’s choir rehearsals as well as learning new repertoire in preparation for the NZSSC July holiday course in Auckland.