Canterbury / West Coast

The Big Sing Finale 2022 awards

29 Aug 2022

Congratulations to all the participating choirs in The Big Sing National Finale 2022! Our adjudicators were hugely impressed with the high standard of performance and were blown away by the passion...

The Big Sing 2022 - Ticketing and Session Times

20 May 2022

This page includes all session times and ticketing information for each location of The Big Sing regional festivals, 9-16 June 2022. WELLINGTON Thursday 9 June Michael Fowler Centre Day...

The Big Sing 2021 - Ticketing and Session Times

04 Jun 2021

EAST COAST Wednesday 2 June Toitoi Hastings Arts and Events Centre Gala concert: 7:30pm ($20 adults, $15 gold card, $12 school students) Tickets available through...

Voices Love Opera

30 Sep 2020

“No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.” (W.H Auden) This month, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir is taking to the operatic stage for Voices...

The Big Sing - Dates for the regional festivals 2021

11 Aug 2020

New Zealand Choral Federation is looking forward to bring back The Big Sing in 2021. Dates for the regional festivals are: REGION DATES VENUE East Coast Wed 2 and Thurs 3 June ToiToi Hawke’s...

Queen's Birthday 2020 honours

03 Jun 2020

We were thrilled to see so many of our choral community recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours this year. We extend our hearty congratulations to National Cadenza Coordinator and NZCF Otago...

NZCF virtual choir project

03 Apr 2020

With the cancellation of many of NZCF’s major events this year, including the World Symposium of Choral Music and The Big Sing, we have been exploring other ways to engage with our choral...

The Big Sing 2020 is cancelled

20 Mar 2020

We’re very sad to announce that The Big Sing will not take place in 2020. There is no guarantee at all that the restrictions on gatherings of more than 100 people will be lifted by the end of May...

Introducing The Big Sing 2020 regional adjudicators

05 Mar 2020

We’re pleased to announce our adjudicators for The Big Sing 2020 regional festivals: Philip Norman: Auckland, Waikato-Bay of Plenty Rachael Griffiths-Hughes: Wellington, Taranaki,...

Introducing Emma Billings, NZCF’s new Events Manager

08 Feb 2020

We are delighted to welcome Emma Billings to the NZCF team in a new role as Events Manager. This new position within the team will incorporate the role of The Big Sing National Coordinator, which Emma...

The perfect choral movie fundraiser

05 Feb 2020

NZCF has had advance notice of an upcoming movie release we’re sure will appeal to our members and would provide the ideal opportunity for a choir fundraiser! Military Wives is directed by Peter...

NZ Youth Choir turns 40

06 Dec 2019

The New Zealand Youth Choir (NZYC) has just turned 40 and to celebrate, it’s holding a special Christmas concert in Auckland, Friday 6 December, before boarding a cruise ship the next day for a...

Not just an accompanist!

06 Dec 2019

Continuing our series of videos recorded at the 2019 Choral Connect convention in Wellington, we’re delighted to release Rachel Fuller’s presentation Not just an accompanist! in which she...

WSCM2020 Advance Registration closes soon!

06 Dec 2019

Looking for ways to show your choir director how much you appreciate them? How about giving them the gift of a career-boosting opportunity for Christmas? Both your conductor and your choir will...

VOCES8 at WSCM2020

06 Nov 2019

We’re delighted to announce that British ensemble VOCES8 will join the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music (WSCM2020) programme with two headline performances. WSCM2020 will be the ensemble’s...

A Kodály-inspired approach

05 Nov 2019

Following on from this year’s highly successful Choral Connect convention in Wellington, we’re delighted to release the second in a series of videos we recorded at selected Choral Connect...

Don Whelan - a half-century of service

04 Oct 2019

This month, prominent Christchurch musician Don Whelan (who, for many years, was Canterbury Regional Coordinator of The Big Sing) marks 50 years as Director of Music for the Cathedral of the Blessed...

Voices for the Oceans

24 Sep 2019

This month, Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir is embarking on a unique tour of nine regional centres for Chamber Music New Zealand. Choirs Aotearoa Chief Executive Arne Herrmann tells us more… As...

Triple Cadenza

06 Sep 2019

The Big Sing got even bigger this year with the addition of three highly successful Cadenza festivals in the South Island (Timaru), Lower North Island (Whanganui) and Upper North Island (Rotorua). A...

Christchurch SingFest

06 Sep 2019

Building on the success of last year’s SingFest, the Canterbury/West Coast NZCF committee filled the streets with song last month with the Christchurch City SingFest. In warm, spring weather over...

Five Minutes with... Jenni Prentice

06 Sep 2019

Introducing NZCF’s new Accounts and Membership Manager We’re delighted to welcome Jenni Prentice to the NZCF staff to take on the combined roles of Accounts Manager and Membership Administrator....

Flocking to WSCM2020

06 Sep 2019

With WSCM2020 now less than a year away, and with hundreds of people from over 40 countries already registered, the 12th World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland is shaping up to be one of the...

The Big Sing Cadenza - South Island awards

18 Aug 2019

Ten secondary school choirs selected from The Big Sing Regional competitions in Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury/West Coast, Otago/South Canterbury and Southland took to the stage to compete in the...

Singfest '19 in Christchurch, 24-25 August

22 Jul 2019

NZCF presents the Christchurch SingFest 19 weekend to be held late in August. A number of community choirs will be holding short performances at venues throughout the inner city over the weekend of...

TBS 2019 CWC Regional Awards

28 Jun 2019

Another successful TBS 2019 event! Check out the Awards List 2019 Photos: St Bede’s MYD Choir shining their shoes before performing & Gala in ChCh Town Hall ...

The Big Sing in full swing

07 Jun 2019

The Big Sing regionals are well underway, with Hawkes Bay leading the way on 29 & 30 May and Christchurch choirs singing their hearts out as we ‘go to print’. Further festivals are scheduled for...

A history of City Choir Dunedin

06 Jun 2019

City Choir Dunedin is proud to announce the publication of its history in The Life and Times of a Choral Society – Dunedin’s City Choir 1863-2013. The Dunedin Choral Society, which performs as...

What’s in store at Choral Connect

06 Jun 2019

We’re pleased to announce details of the plenary sessions and presentation topics at this year’s Choral Connect, as well as revealing the major work the delegate choir will sing at the final...

The Big Sing/Ministry of Youth Development ‘Spirit of the Festival’ Youth Ambassadors Award

04 May 2019

The Ministry of Youth Development (MYD) is supporting The Big Sing (TBS) for the third consecutive year, in recognition of the ways in which TBS festivals offer development opportunities to student...

Farewell, Di Lenihan

02 May 2019

We were very sorry to hear of the death of Di Lenihan on 12 April 2019. Di was held in the highest esteem by her colleagues all around New Zealand and occupied a key position in NZ choral music for...

Workshops with Dr Karen Grylls and Catrin Johnsson

29 Apr 2019

We are pleased to welcome Catrin Johnsson and Dr Karen Grylls into The Canterbury West Coast region from 2 – 6 May. They will be mainly working with Secondary School Choirs, many of whom are...

Cadenza dates and venues announced

04 Apr 2019

Cadenza, the ‘next best thing to The Big Sing Finale’ will be launched this August in Rotorua (please note the change in dates!), Whanganui and Timaru. Cadenza enables 36 competing choirs from...

WSCM2020 presenters and choirs revealed

06 Mar 2019

WSCM2020 is thrilled to announce the stunning line-up of 24 world-class choirs and over 40 distinguished choral practitioners coming to Auckland in July 2020. The International Artistic Committee...

The Big Sing 2019 registrations now open

18 Feb 2019

Registration for The Big Sing (TBS) 2019 is now open, as are entries for the NZCF/SOUNZ choral competition. TBS is a dynamic, national group-singing competition for secondary school students. The Big...

Cadenza coming to a centre near you!

08 Feb 2019

Plans are shaping up for three Cadenza festivals around the country this August. Cadenza is the ‘next best thing to The Big Sing Finale’ enabling 36 competing choirs from across New Zealand to...

WSCM2020 registrations open soon

05 Feb 2019

It’s an exciting month of milestones for WSCM2020! Having had 100% acceptance from the 24 world-class selected choirs, we are launching the core programme and opening earlybird registrations on 20...

Introducing Bea Selwood, NZCF's new Membership and Database Administrator

05 Feb 2019

Bea is originally from the UK, but spent 14 years living in Amsterdam where she worked as an accountant for two multinational companies. She and her partner Paul immigrated to New Zealand in 1993 and...

A Tribute to Vicki McLeod

04 Feb 2019

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge” (Albert Einstein) For nearly three decades Timaru and indeed the rest of New Zealand have had the...

TBS REGIONAL DATES AND VENUES 2019

27 Oct 2018

TBS REGIONAL DATES AND VENUES 2019 Registration opens February 18 and closes March 18, 2019. Late closing April 5, 2019, late entry fee $80. Late payment fee $100 after May 9. SOUNZ Composition...

Christchurch SingFest 2018

24 Aug 2018

Come and join a feast of song in the Central City area! 25-26 August, 2018, 10am – 4.30pm Listen to some of our city’s finest choirs, enjoy a performance by one of our Big Sing Finalists 2018, be...

Meet the Finale Adjudicators for 2018

24 Jul 2018

DAVID CHILDS David is a full-time freelance composer of music, conductor, educator, and owner of River Avon productions (www.davidchilds.com). In addition to a busy composing and presentation...

MYD ‘Spirit of the Festival’ Youth Ambassadors Awards 2018

08 Jul 2018

NZCF is pleased to announce the Ministry of Youth Development (MYD) ‘Spirit of the Festival’ Youth Ambassador Awards for 2018. The awards are given in recognition of the ways in which TBS...

The Big Sing 2018 Finale

04 Jul 2018

NEWSFLASH: Tickets are now on sale for The Big Sing Finale Gala Concert on Saturday 1 September at 6.30pm from Ticketmaster. Tickets are $30 for Adults, and $20 for Students and Children. The New...

Canterbury The Big Sing Awards 2018

25 Jun 2018

The Canterbury/West Coast Regional competition was held on Thursday 7 & Friday 8 June 2018 in the lovely new auditorium at The Piano, Centre for Music and the Arts, while the evening Gala Concerts...

Jo-Michael Scheibe comes to NZ

24 Apr 2018

Tour Time are proud to be working with renowned choral clinician and conductor Jo-Michael Scheibe on his upcoming visit to Auckland and Christchurch this July. Dr Scheibe will be holding workshops...

The Big Sing Regional festivals 2018

27 Mar 2018

The Big Sing regional festivals start next month. With around 10,000 secondary school students taking part, it is New Zealand’s largest musical competition. The goals of The Big Sing are: • to...

City Sings 2018

15 Mar 2018

Choral music enthusiasts from across the city and region of Canterbury will meet and share an exciting new venture for Christchurch city which will provide new opportunities for performance,...

For community and chamber choir directors - Giving Direction workshops 2018

05 Mar 2018

Community and chamber choir directors are warmly invited to attend Giving Direction workshops where they will be given ‘hands-on’ instruction on conducting gesture and other vital aspects of choir...

Choral Vacancies

09 Jan 2018

Is your choir looking for a music director or more singers? NZCF can help in a number of ways… • Paid advertising on our website under this section in eBreve • Free news items under your...

The World Symposium on Choral Music 2020

02 Aug 2017

The next IFCM World Symposium on Choral Music will be held in Auckland from 11 to 18 July 2020. For more information, see the WSCM2020 website. Watch the announcment in Barcelona from our WSCM2020...

The Big Sing regional competition awards

30 Jun 2017

We have just enjoyed The Big Sing regional festivals with a record 10,500 students from 270 choirs (160 schools) taking part. Congratulations to all concerned and many thanks to our regional...

The 'Spirit of the Festival' award

30 Jun 2017

A new award given at the recent regional events, the Ministry of Youth Development ‘Spirit of the Festival’ Youth Ambassadors Award, recognises the ways in which The Big Sing offers development...

Thank you to our volunteers

28 Jun 2017

Last week – 18-24 June – was National Volunteer Week, and the backbone of NZCF really is its large volunteer force. So we’d like to express our heartfelt appreciation to our hundreds of...

Allegheny Chamber Choir touring New Zealand in May

28 Mar 2017

New Zealand concert tour by College Chamber Choir from USA Music Celebrations International and Tour Time is pleased to announce the Allegheny Chamber Choir, from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania,...

Advertisement: Jubilate Singers to celebrate 40th anniversary

26 Nov 2016

It’s nearly 40 years since Martin Setchell established the Jubilate Singers. Since then the choir has had a regular annual concert programme and performed with other choirs, orchestras such as the...

NZCF member choir concerts

30 Sep 2016

NZCF now has our member choirs’ concerts listed on our website and you can find them in two ways: Home page – search under ‘Upcoming Events’ Regions – select your region and click on...

The Big Sing 2017 dates and venues

01 Feb 2016

Here are the dates and venues for The Big Sing regional festivals in 2017 The Big Sing Finale will be held at Auckland’s ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 August...

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