21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Festival showcases young singers
Young singers from across Dunedin and Otago will test their skills on stage during three-day singing festival SongFest '25.
Entries are open now for the youth singing contest, which will be held from July 18-20 on campus at the University of Otago.
SongFest '25 organising committee chairman Peter Thomson said last year's revamped festival of song — formerly the Green Island Junior Vocal Competition — was a huge success, with easily double the previous number of performers.
This year promised to be even bigger and better, Mr Thomson said in a statement.
"For the first time, we will have three outstanding adjudicators to give expert advice across the different singing styles: mezzo-soprano Claire Barton for classical songs, Arlie McCormick for contemporary and musical theatre and Tenaya Brown for waiata."
The change came after feedback from performers and teachers that young people were increasingly interested in more contemporary styles of singing, he said.
"Learning the foundations that only classical singing provides is still very important in the development of young singers, but there has been a cultural change towards more contemporary styles."
The festival had also brought in dedicated sound technician Sam Leapers "with all the right gear", Mr Thomson said.
"It's a step up for us in terms of professional sound quality."
Musical theatre would now have two separate categories to reflect different styles, one using microphones and the other not.
"The older musicals written before 1970, like West Side Story , didn't use mics," Mr Thomson said.
"Performers had to learn to project their voices to be heard. So, if one of our singers chooses a song from that era, no mic is used.
"But performers in newer musicals, such as Hamilton are all mic'd. So that's an option for our singers."
First introduced two festivals ago, waiata was also proving increasingly popular, and Mr Thomson was keen for numbers to grow.
"Tenaya [Brown], who was our waiata judge last year, is really encouraging and engaged with young people. We're delighted to have her back again."
Brown, who teaches at Concord School, said SongFest was an amazing way for children to "get out there" and grow their skills in a supportive environment.
The festival committee has named the two waiata trophies after the late Sheralyn Weepers, te reo, tikanga and kapa haka teacher at Bayfield High School, who died in 2023. Her husband and whānau will attend the waiata showcase on July 18.
• SongFest '25, a three-day singing festival for performers under 21 years will be held from July 18-20 at Castle 1 lecture theatre, University of Otago.
Entries close on June 4. For information visit — APL
