The chairs have been laid out, the acoustics have been checked and the stage is set for the Big Sing Finale to begin in the Dunedin Town Hall tonight.
Big Sing regional co-ordinator Rosemary Tarbotton said hosting the event meant a lot for Dunedin.
"We’ve been waiting a long a six years to have it and it is very exciting."
She said the top 24 secondary school choirs from around the country were coming to compete.
That meant nearly 1000 people including students, teachers, directors and accompanists were going to be in town this week.
Southern interest centred on Cantus Columba, the Columba College choir, and the Southland Girls’ High School choir.
It was the first time a Dunedin choir had made the finals of the Big Sing in a long time, Ms Tarbotton said.
Cantus Columba choir director John Buchanan told the Otago Daily Times that having the competition on home turf was an advantage.
"You get to sleep in your own bed and you don’t have a noisy neighbour yelling and keeping you awake all night."
Cantus Columba will perform tonight in session two of the competition, from 5pm to 6.30pm, and tomorrow in session seven, from 6.30pm to 8pm.
Each choir must sing five pieces and will be judged by five adjudicators.
They have to sing a New Zealand-composed or a Maori or Pasifika piece, an art song composed for a choir and an "anything goes" piece that could be from a musical or even a pop song.
The competition concludes on Saturday night with a finale concert.
