Songs sung with class

AwaSide from Whanganui High School sang at last Tuesday's Cadenza Gala Concert. Photo / Jeanette Jones

Lower North Island Cadenza Gala Concert
Featuring 12 secondary school choirs
Royal Whanganui Opera House
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Reviewed by Paul Brooks

Every year choirs from secondary schools all across the country compete in a series of rigorous choral contests. From these competitions come the creme de la creme to showcase themselves in an event called the Cadenza, of which there are three — South Island, Lower North Island, Upper North Island.
The choirs chosen for each Cadenza have already distinguished themselves in the "Big Sing" and win themselves a Cadenza place.
Even then, the competition continues and the choirs are evaluated, coached and judged in Sessions over two days.

There have been three Cadenzas staged in Whanganui at the Opera House, all managed and co-ordinated by a talented team headed by Edwyna McDonald.

On the final night, by which time the competitions and judging are over, the 12 choirs perform for the public in a Gala Concert.
The choirs were: Rawhiti (Wellington East Girls' College); AwaSide (Whanganui High School); Ad Lucem (Napier Girls' High School); Black and Gold Collective (Wellington College); Jubilate (New Plymouth Girls' High School); Celtic Heart (Taradale High School); Future Prospect (Havelock North High School); Cantatrices (Palmerston North Girls' High School); Nga Manu Tioriori (Onslow College, Wellington); Con Anima (St Patrick's College, Wellington); Sinquisition (Nga Tawa Diocesan School, Marton) and Tangiata (Manukura, Palmerston North).

These choirs were at the top of the Lower North Island choirs that competed in the Big Sing. There are about 250 choirs (10,000 singers) throughout New Zealand who compete in the Big Sing then the top 36 choirs go to the Grand Finale and the top 12 choirs after that from the Lower North Island, Upper North Island and the South Island go to the Cadenza for their area.
All choirs and their performances in "Sessions" were judged by adjudicator Elise Bradley, who also taught them all two songs they would perform as massed choirs at the end of the Gala Concert.

The Opera House was packed with paying patrons upstairs and choirs downstairs, the latter rigged out in school uniforms or an adaptation of that for their performance. To present each choir and their item was John Peill.
And so it began, with each choir presenting one song and each providing their own accompanist — often a music teacher, but sometimes a gifted student, and usually fronted by their director or conductor, in most cases a teacher.

The variety was far beyond what I expected, with songs from all over the world presented with class, sincerity and sensitivity by choirs of a very high standard.
From a strong performance of a song from Tokelau, to the unusually complex presentation of a Moravian mountain song, the diversity of selections was a credit to the choirs and their versatility. From sacred to overtly secular — like an all-male performance of Carl Perkins' "Daddy Sang Bass" — the songs had multiple effects on the appreciative audience, who responded with expressions of delight and awe throughout. Applause was loud, real and without bias, with some of the schools showing their appreciation of certain talented individuals with screams reminiscent of an early Beatles concert.

The standard of accompaniment was high, with most choirs singing to the Opera House grand piano, with the occasional addition of a bass or acoustic guitar and, in one case, finger cymbals to highlight sections, and, in another, a tea chest bass. One all-girl choir chose to go a capella.

Voices were used to their best advantage, some schools having to make the most of all male or all female voices. One all-male choir still provided a variety of tones by using bass / baritone and some falsetto (or unbroken) voices.

The purpose of this review is not to judge the choirs, as that was done efficiently by a qualified adjudicator, but to convey an impression of a wonderful concert. Credit must go to each and every choir director and their accompanist. The unpaid hours they must have spent to bring their charges to those exceptionally high standards would have been many, but their reward, to hear their choirs reap the applause on the night must have made it all worthwhile.

Most choirs made good use of harmony with some giving the parts added strength by using voices in unison as well, so when the harmony arrived it impressed indeed with its contrast and (always) accuracy.
There were songs in Latin, Maori, English and more, and one choir, the final school choir of the evening, gave us a rendition of a song in US Gospel style, with one lead voice backed by the rest of the choir. There was even a song written by students, members of the choir.

After 12 choirs, 12 songs, representatives of the choirs assembled on stage for prizegiving, after which all the choristers and their school support formed one large choir, singing two songs — "Skye Boat Song" and "Ka Waiata Ki a Maria" — under the direction of Elise Bradley. Their performances and the applause that followed threatened to lift the roof.

It was a concert of many emotions and an indication that choral music is alive and well in New Zealand schools. The high standards of the singing, the sharp visual presentation and the obvious joy felt and shown by each chorister was reflected in the audience appreciation.
Already, I'm looking forward to next year.