Our golden singers have done it again! Our Premier Choir was awarded Gold at the prestigious Big Sing Finale in Christchurch, marking an extraordinary third consecutive year at the very top of New Zealand high school choral music.
Held in Christchurch, this year’s Finale was the culmination of a massive nationwide effort. The Big Sing is Aotearoa’s largest secondary school choral festival, a beloved tradition spanning more than 35 years and run by the NZ Choral Foundation. This year alone, the festival brought together over 9,000 students from approximately 280 choirs across 190 schools, supported every step of the way by their families and school communities – a phenomenal effort.
The journey began across 10 regional centres—Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, East Coast, Taranaki, Manawatu/Whanganui, Wellington, Marlborough/Nelson, Canterbury/West Coast, Otago, and Southland. Out of more than 250 regional competitors and a huge depth of talent, only the top 24 choirs earned a spot at the Finale, making Fortissimo’s success all the more remarkable.
In addition to their Gold award, Fortissimo took home some of the night's most prestigious hardware:
The Tour Time Cup: Awarded for the Best Performance of a Piece of Choral Art Music, presented in person by Tour Time founders Beryl and Ron Imrie.
The Big Sing Pasifika Award: Jointly awarded to Fortissimo and Paradisum (Epsom Girls Grammar) for the best performance of a piece in a Pasifika language.
New this year, the Pasifika Award was proudly sponsored by the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Pacific – University of Auckland, and was judged by adjudicator Dr Siliva Gaugatao.
Fortissimo tackled a wide range of pieces over two days. In fact, according to Dilworth’s Head of Choral Music, Mr Jacob Moore, their most challenging repertoire yet.
“We knew our performances had struck a chord with audiences, and we’ve since been humbled by the positive response from people around the world. The awards are a wonderful recognition of the commitment and skill that went into preparing our most challenging repertoire yet. It’s very exciting to be recognised on one of NZ’s biggest stages in choral music.”
Heartfelt Congratulations
Huge congratulations to our young men in green, to our dedicated conductor and Director of Choral Music, Mr Jacob Moore, and to our Head of Performing Arts, Mr David Stent. You have filled our hearts with your beautiful sound, and we could not be prouder of all you have achieved together!
We also extend our warmest applause to every choir from across Aotearoa who took the stage in the Big Sing Finale. The passion, energy, and commitment to choral music were truly inspiring.
Finally, a massive thank you to the NZ Choral Federation and all the sponsors who make the Big Sing a world-class festival and one of Aotearoa’s best-loved events for secondary school students.
Check out these fabulous on-stage and behind-the-scenes photos! Many thanks to Louis Park & Craig Forster of Lightchasers.
Fortissimo’s Repertoire of Musical Items
Kung Liljekonvalje - David Wikander
La Cucaracha – a Mexican folk song, arr. Robert Sund
Vi’i o Kiliuati - Maoiautele Pule Tusa arr. Jacob Moore
Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre
Sit Down Servant - trad. spiritual, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
