In the early hours of Wednesday, 17 June 2026, the Sancta Maria College Chamber Choir was radiating with energy as they loaded onto the bus and headed to the Auckland Town Hall for the annual Big Sing Competition. Big Sing is a major event in high school calendars, and our chamber choir had been working hard throughout the year, in preparation.
Upon being seated, we watched multiple schools who expressed the same enthusiastic and artistic vocals. One highlight was the Epsom Girl’s College arrangement of “Matariki”. A great piece choice to express Māori tradition for the upcoming Matariki holiday!
During the afternoon session, we were called to the rehearsal rooms to practice our setlist. Shortly after, our chamber choir glided onto the stage like graceful swans, performing the following songs:
- ‘Song of Ruth’ arr. David Hamilton
- ‘Sanctus’ arr. Russel Robinson
- ‘A Day in the Life of a Fool’ arr. Kirby Shaw
Singing the songs with our eyes firmly fixated on Ms Shone’s conducting and ears intensely listening to Mr Lee’s piano playing, the symphony of voices was delightful!
Post-performance, we all celebrated as we shortly left for the bus back to school; full of laughter, singing, and pizza!
Our Chamber choir returned to the Auckland Town Hall, alongside teachers, parents and Mr. Mackenzie for the Big Sing Gala concert that evening. The Gala concert was a chance for every school to sing one song, as a way to highlight their hard work and effort throughout the year. For our chamber choir, we sang “A Day in the Life of a Fool” as we considered it as “one of our most fun pieces” as stated by Ms Shone. The Gala ended with an award ceremony and the entire Town Hall singing ‘Ka Waiata’; uniting everyone.
Thank you Ms Shone, Mr Lee (his outstanding piano playing), Mrs Rhodes, staff, and students who have supported our choir at the Big Sing.
