Kāpiti College Choir, Nga Manu Tioriori o Kāpiti, returned from the competing in the World Choir Games in Cincinnati, Ohio, during the holidays thrilled both with their performances and with the experiences they had.
They competed in two sections as a full group – the Jazz Choir – and as a Girls’ Choir, earning Silver Awards in each section. The heat of Cincinnati, which topped at 43 degrees, made the five days of competition difficult, but Choir Mistress Bridget O’Shannasy said that the venue was fantastic to sing in and the groups had exceeded expectations in their performances.
Besides the holiday side of the trip in Los Angelos and Hawaii, the group had the opportunity to experience a range of cultural experiences from opera to the Independence Day Parade with sister school Sycamore High on July 4th. They attended a performance of ‘Porgy and Bess’ in Cincinnati and were delighted when New Zealand opera star Jonathan Lemalu, who was performing one of the lead roles, invited them backstage. (Shot shows Lemalu at centre back) A visit to Universal Studios in Hollywood was also a hit with the group.
Group had fundraised for a year to attend the games doing everything from cake stalls to a hypnotist evening and Ms O’Shannasy said it was worth every bit of the effort. The quality of their performance had improved hugely and the whole experience was unforgettable.
