The Festival
SingDownunder is an annual New Zealand Schools Choral Festival where Northern Hemisphere and Australian choirs perform with our New Zealand choirs. We welcome mixed-voice choirs, treble-voice choirs… (our high school choirs are aged 13-18). The festival offers northern hemisphere school choirs a safe, exotic, quality choral summer school joining a large group of Australian, New Zealand other international choirs. It exposes visiting choirs to Maori and Polynesian choral styles uniquely present in Auckland, a metrolitan cathedral choral competition and touring and singing in diverse contexts in New Zealand’s beautiful, more remote regions.
Welcome from Owen Sharpe, Festival Director
The 13 day festival not only offers the chance to Sing Downunder, but also gives choristers the opportunity to experience life downunder. As part of the festival programme, International choirs will be matched with a New Zealand choir and hosted in our homes and schools in week one.
The festival programme includes in-school workshops, and a specialised workshop in Maori choral music. It includes rehearsal, recording and performance opportunities , 2 days of competition and a Concert Finale at Auckland’s renowned Holy Trinity Cathedral.
In the second week choirs have the chance to tour together in the beautiful South Island snow country.
Musical Director David Hamilton
Convenor Professor Karen Grylls
Adjudicator Faye Dumont
