Long live community singing!
“A wonderful celebration of community singing took place on Saturday in Wellington. Over 200 singers got together and sang their hearts out!”
The day-long event run by Susie Amorim Hardie, Lala Simpson and Andrea Robinson, was held in two parts - in the morning, all participants were invited to come and learn together in a singing workshop, and the afternoon was a unique opportunity to share what they had learnt in a concert, showcasing a variety of community choirs and singing groups from across the Wellington region.
Susie, Andrea and Lala our organisers.
It was witnessing pure joy in action. We should be so proud as a region to have such strong female representation for our song leadership.
Each leader offered unique skills that fit and held their community beautifully, and the performance was like being embraced in a warm hug you didn't know you needed.
“Susie is so effervescent in her energy, she lifts us all up by bringing the va, va, va, ving.”
As an audience, we were taken on a grand trip around the region, experiencing all that each of these groups/choirs had to offer. In the words of Forrest Gump, "You never know what you're gonna get" from the chocolate box but in the very best way. It was my first time meeting several of the choirs/groups, and it was a delight to discover what type of chocolate they represented. A small group can be just as mighty as a large choir.
Wellington Community Choir
Kapiti Community Choir
Choirs/Groups represented during the event:
Kapiti Community Choir
Wellington Community Choir
Kapiti Gospel Choir
Kotaba Voices
Hutt Community Choir
Khandallah Choir
Aro Valley and Karori Community Singers
The event was organized by:
Susie Amorim Hardie (Hutt Community Choir) Lala Simpson (Kotaba Voices, Wellington Community Choir) and Andrea Robinson (Khandallah Choir, Wellington Community Choir)
Acknowledgements and thank you to other Song Leaders for coming:
Carol Shortis and Jo Shrigley (and support team).
Kapiti Gospel Choir
Kotaba Voices
Joy was abundant, the event ran very smoothly, and it was well attended by participants and audience members. It was so successful I know we will see it back next year. They raised money for the City Mission, which always feels good to contribute to a bigger vision and next year, we might have the pleasure of meeting even more choirs/groups from across the Wellington Region.
by Claire Hewitt
Please Note: I was thoroughly caught up in the concert before I thought, maybe I should document this. My apologies to any groups where I have missed you taking an image of you, I was fully present listening to you in your full glory.