Celebrating two new Life Members
30 Jun 2024
In June, NZCF presented Roy Tankersley and Carole Randall with Life Membership awards to honour their many years of service to the choral community of Aotearoa New Zealand.
As both Roy and Carole have been vital figures in The Big Sing in their regions – Palmerston North and Otago respectively – their Life Membership was conferred to them at the gala concerts of those regional festivals in June.
Our thanks and congratulations to Roy and Carole! Read on to learn more about these two stellar choral contributors.
Roy Tankersley
Roy's journey with The Big Sing began in Wellington back in 1990 as part of the Secondary Schools’ Choral Festival Committee. He moved to Palmerston North in 2003 and took on the role of Regional Coordinator for The Big Sing Manawatū-Whanganui festival for five years. He’s still active on the local committee today. Roy has also spent the last 20 years on NZCF's regional committee, including 15 years as Chair. He founded The Kids Sing for primary and intermediate choirs in 2016 and has coordinated it ever since.
Roy's impact on choral music in New Zealand extends well beyond his roles with NZCF. He was a tutor for the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir in the 1990s and has conducted numerous choirs in Wellington, Whanganui, Gisborne, Dunedin, and Palmerston North. His contributions have earned him several honours, including being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2011, winning the Older Person of the Year award in Palmerston North in 2020, and a Palmerston North Civic Honour in 2023.
As a conductor, teacher, organist, accompanist, workshop leader, administrator, and visionary, Roy has made a lasting mark on the musical life of Aotearoa, and on choral music in particular.
Carole Randall
Carole's service to NZCF includes a total of 25 years as Otago Regional Chair, a position she stepped down from last month. In addition to chairing the Otago Committee, Carole was Regional Coordinator for The Big Sing for several years, including coordinating no fewer than six Big Sing Finales in the Dunedin Town Hall between 1999 and 2019.
Carole was one of the people who seeded the idea for Cadenza, providing another level of The Big Sing between regionals and Finale that school choirs can aspire to, and she's been supportive in the rollout of Cadenza since its establishment in 2019.
Outside of her roles with NZCF, Carole was the Student Wellbeing and Course Logistics Manager for the NZ Secondary Students Choir for ten years. She's had a significant impact on music education in general through her 21-year role as a Lecturer in Music Education and Professional Practice at the University of Otago College of Education, and as a Music Adviser in Otago and Southland.
Carole has devoted an enormous amount of time, energy and expertise to NZCF since the earliest years of the Federation. We are tremendously grateful for her service.