Trinity students get school back in tune with choir

Trinity Catholic College Trinity Chorale members (from left) Camila Barns, 16, Liam Rasmussen, 18, Laura McCartney, 15, Sophie Hoexum, 18, Anabel Rutledge, 14, Tim Stevens, 17, Juno Maxwell, 15, Joseph Kelly, 17, Ziva Curtis, 15, Riley Culling, 16, Sophie Hannagan, 15, Matteo Maxia, 17, Maria Paz Sanchez, 16, Mitchell Atkinson, 17, and Samuel Harfoot, 14, after performing at the Otago and South Canterbury Big Sing Regional Concert at the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday. PHOTOS: LINDA ROBERTSON

When a group of Trinity Catholic College students found out there was no choir at their school, they decided that must be changed.

Yesterday the newly formed Trinity Chorale, made up of over 20 students, performed at the Big Sing together for the first time.

Choir member Joseph Kelly, 17, said a lot of students were ‘‘really keen’’ to get a choir going at the school, so with support from students and the school, they made it happen.

‘‘We all wanted to be part of it.

‘‘There was a lot of talk, and there was a lot of cool music things happening, so people started asking ‘do we have a choir?’

‘‘And the answer was no.

‘‘Then the question was ‘why don’t we have a choir?’

‘‘Then it really was just a ‘yep, let’s make sure we get this done’.’’

The last time the school had attended Big Sing was well before any of the current students started attending the school, he said.

Classmate Camila Barns, 16, said musical theatre was taken very seriously by a lot of students at the school, so the support was always there.

It was only when former Trinity Catholic College student Ewen Clarke-Wallace — a University of Otago student, member of the New Zealand Youth Choir and organist for the All Saints’ Anglican Church — jumped in to help that the choir got off the ground.

Valley Voices from Kaikorai Valley College, Dunedin perform.

The first choir meeting attracted over 40 students.

Not all of them ended up attending the Big Sing concert, but the ones that did had an unforgettable experience.

Camila said she had learnt a lot being part of a choir.

‘‘Working with acoustics is a whole different experience in terms of singing, because you’re also singing with the building as well.

‘‘That was a really cool experience.’’

She expected Trinity Catholic College to be back at the event next year as well.

Big Sing regional co-ordinator Rosemary Tarbotton said there were 22 choirs from 19 schools around Otago and South Canterbury — it was their biggest turnout since before Covid-19.