The Big Sing Finale 2025 brought together the top 24 secondary school choirs selected from over 200 choirs who competed across nine regional festivals earlier in the year. Nearly 1000 young singers gathered in Dunedin to sing their hearts out.
Listen to the Finale Gala performance at 8pm on Friday 12 September during Music Alive on RNZ Concert.
Or listen here any time:
GALA CONCERT
Compèred by Bryan Crump, host of Three to Seven on RNZ Concert, and including performances of:
Autumn Song by Abilio Fernandes - First Prize, NZCF-SOUNZ Choral Composition Competition 2025
Abilio Fernandes is a Year 11 student at St Patrick’s College Wellington. He is a member of the college choir, Con Anima, both singing and accompanying on the piano. His passion for the rich harmonies and melodic interplay produced by choral works, accompanied by the warm and vibrant colours of autumn, inspired his composition 'Autumn Song'.
Tēnei te Arā (He Karakia Tawhito) by Jesse Wallace - First Prize, SOUNZ-NZCF Te Reo Māori Choral Composition Award 2025
Jesse Wallace is a Year 12 student at Tawa College with a love of singing. He is a member of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir as well as Tawa College’s Blue Notes, Dawn Chorus and Ringtones barbershop chorus. Jesse’s composition 'Tēnei te Arā (He Karakia Tawhito)' draws on a karakia tawhito (ancient chant) passed down to his father and explores Tāne’s sacred journey to the heavens, returning with ngā kete o te wānanga (baskets of knowledge) to share their wisdom with humankind.
Massed item: I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes • Composed by Chris Artley, conducted by John Buchanan MNZM
Twenty-four high-school choirs from eight cities competed in The Big Finale, and six Auckland choirs won gold awards at the Gala concert.
- Cantare from Westlake Girls' High School,
- Fortissimo from Dilworth School,
- St Cecilia Singers from Auckland Diocesan School for Girls,
- Euphony from Kristin School,
- Voicemale from Westlake Boys' High School
- Choralation from Westlake Boys and Girls Schools
Voicemale also won the audience impact award, for the banjo-fuelled number 'An Old-fashioned Song' from the musical Showing Off. While the prize for best performance of a te reo Māori song went to the all-female choir Leonessa from Takapuna Grammar with Te Iwi E.
- Watch more videos of performances at The Big Sing on YouTube
- Find out more about The Big Sing 2025 as Dunedin came alive with the sound of music
FINALE SESSIONS & CHOIRS 2025:
Thursday 28 August
Session 1: 2pm – 3:30pm
- Fortissimo Dilworth School, Auckland
- King’s College Kappella King’s College, Auckland
- Saint’s Alive St Cuthbert’s School, Auckland
- Bel Suono Waikato Diocesan School, Hamilton
- Serenata Rangitoto College, Auckland
- Resolutions Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Christchurch
Session 2: 5pm – 6:30pm
- Ngā Korimako Wellington College and Wellington Girls’ College
- Voicemale Westlake Boys High School, Auckland
- Cantus Columba Columba College, Dunedin
- Blue Notes Tawa College, Wellington
- Cantare Westlake Girls High School, Auckland
- Euphony Kristin School, Auckland
Session 3: 8pm – 9:15pm
- Con Anima St Patrick’s College, Wellington
- FEMME Southland Girls’ High School, Invercargill
- Choralation Westlake Boys High School and Westlake Girls High School, Auckland
- Paradisum Epsom Girls Grammar School, Auckland
- Bel Canto Burnside High School, Christchurch
Friday 29 August
Session 4: 11am – 12:15pm
- St Cecilia Singers Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland
- Leonessa Takapuna Grammar School, Auckland
- Voces Luce Queen Margaret College, Wellington
- MANifesto Palmerston North Boys’ High School
- Altissime Samuel Marsden Collegiate, Wellington
Session 5: 1:30pm – 2:45pm
- Seraphim Chilton Saint James School, Lower Hutt
- Macleans College Chorale Macleans College, Auckland
- Voicemale
- Resolutions
- Ngā Korimako
- Saints Alive
Session 6: 3:45pm – 4:50pm
- Fortissimo
- King’s College Kappella
- Blue Notes
- Cantare
- Paradisum
Friday 29 August
Session 7: 6:30pm – 8pm
- FEMME
- Serenata
- Con Anima
- Bel Canto
- Euphony
- Cantus Columba
- Choralation
Saturday 30 August
Session 8: 11am – 12:45pm
- Macleans College Chorale
- Seraphim
- Altissime
- MANifesto
- Leonessa
- Voces Luce
- St Cecelia Singers
- Bel Suono
The Big Sing Finale 2025 was held at Dunedin Town Hall, Thursday 28 - Saturday 30 August. Produced by New Zealand Choral Federation Te Kotahitanga Manu Reo o Aotearoa, with video livestreamed by JXLive, and audio produced by RNZ Concert.
