Tui Award at the Big Sing Cadenza festival
Posted on August 30, 2022
On Sunday 21 August, the Macleans College Chorale (MCC) travelled to Rotorua to participate in the Big Sing Cadenza festival, hosted by the New Zealand Choral Federation.
MCC, Macleans’ premiere choir, was one of 36 choirs nationally to be invited to one of the three Cadenza events across the country, selected from over 250 participating schools. The Upper North Island Cadenza was held at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua over two days, with sessions of performances, as well as workshops, with a highly distinguished choral director (and the regional adjudicator), Elise Bradley.
MCC performed a diverse repertoire, consisting of a setting of Sarah Teasdale’s poem, I Am Not Yours by American composer Z. Randall Stroope, followed by David Childs’ setting of The Moon is Distant From The Sea by Emily Dickenson and closing with Dubula, a traditional Xhosa song arranged by Stephen Hatfield.
A gala concert was held on the Monday evening, open to a public audience, where MCC was asked to perform The Moon is Distant From The Sea once more. All 12 choirs performed two mass items together, and the concert ended with a prizegiving.
Macleans College Chorale’s performance was recognised with the Tui award - the highest award for the Cadenza festival.
MCC was delighted to be able to participate in such a prestigious event and cannot wait for next year's festival. A special thank you goes out to Mrs McNabb, Dr Miles, Ms Harrison, and Mr Bevan for dedicating countless hours and energy into the Chorale this year.