by Dio Communications
Arts & Culture News
Georgina Hewitt — June 21, 2023
The Big Sing regional choir competition results are in! Winner of Best New Zealand Song - Bel Suono singing David Child’s The moon is distant from the Sea, Cantiamo - Highly Commended, Bel Suono - Very Highly Commended and Best Choir 2023! Congratulations to all our singers and supportive staff and families. We are so proud of your achievements.
On Sunday, 18 June, DiOrchestra + friends had a workshop with outside tutors and Simon Brew to prepare for the upcoming exchange with Kenmore State High School from Australia on Tuesday, 27 June and the KBB music festival in Auckland on 8 August. The Orchestra was fortunate to have outside tutors from each section to help our students prepare the pieces for performance. Special thanks to Simon Brew, who came in to help the whole orchestra improve on performance and gave us some little tips for our everyday practice. Simon Brew is a conductor and classical saxophonist whose career highlights include playing with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Netherlands National Orchestra, and Netherlands Blazers Ensemble at the BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall. Simon holds a Master of Music from the ArtEZ Conservatorium, The Netherlands, where he won numerous awards upon graduation.
Youth Orchestra Waikato - Kaleidoscope
Not a rugby fan but still want to head out on Saturday night? Head along to support Dio's own Diny Zhou as she is a featured soloist for the Youth Orchestra Waikato in Kaleidoscope. Supporting Diny are fellow Dio students Gabriella and Kezia Schuitemaker, Shanaz Chen, Joy Liao, Jacqueline Li, Sarah Wang, and Frances Gregory.
Saturday 24 June, 7.30 pm
Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts
Kirikiriroa Hamilton
Koha Entry
More info 👉 https://bit.ly/3Aa3cR7
Michael Hill Violin Competition
Gabriella Schuitemaker and Claudia Noble, both 14, played at the Auckland Town Hall in the Michael Hill Violin Competition String Sessions.
The 1st movement of the Prokofiev Sonata in D Major for Solo Violin was played as it was originally written in 1947, for multiple violins in unison. The violinists in the group included the six finalists of the Michael Hill Violin Competition and the Fellows who have worked alongside them. This was led by the dynamic Monique Lapins, one of the violinists in the New Zealand String Quartet.
Gabriella is currently the Deputy Concertmaster of Youth Orchestra Waikato and will perform in the next Hamilton Pops Orchestra Concert in July.
Young Singers in Harmony
Congratulations to all our students involved in the barbershop Young Singers in Harmony Waikato regionals hosted at Scared Heart Girls' College
Espresso Chorus came third in the Upper Voices Chorus category, and our quartets Dolcelatte and Piccolo placed 5th and 6th, respectively in the Upper Voices Quartet Category.
The best news is EVERYONE qualified for Nationals to be held in September in Auckland!
Many thanks to musical director Jane Martin for all your work in teaching and encouraging our students involved in Barbershop.
RockQuest
Congratulations to Hunter Jones and Bonnie Feng, who entered the Solo/Duo category of the RockQuest under the name 'The Pith'. A few weekends ago, they performed their original piece Edge of the Earth, to a great-sized audience, and the adjudicator said they had cool lyrics and nice harmonies, and it all worked well with the guitar. Overall it was a really nice performance. Well done, 'The Pith'.
Design & Technology
The Supreme Winner of the 20th Anniversary Raglan Art To Wear was Dio's 13-year-old Nikau Pinfold. Nikau's stunning black and gold dress was made from Dreamview Farm bottle tops. Incredible!
Photography Success
An incredible accomplishment from Year 11, Sophie Hansen, whose image of a Roaring Stag in the fog won second place in the 2023 MSD Animal Health/ Allflex Deer Industry photo competition. Another photo of an entangled shag in a fishing line placed Sophie second in the Humanity and Natural World section of the Wanganui Salon 2023. Beautiful work, Sophie!
