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Otago Daily Times
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Otago Girls' brought together by library day
Shrek, Barbie and and The Cat in the Hat were some of the popular stories from which a Dunedin secondary school drew inspiration for its annual library day yesterday. Students from Otago Girls' High School dressed as characters from books and films to fundraise for new books for their library. Library prefect Caitlin Gibbs, 18, said this year's library day was a celebration of stories from books that had been reimagined as movies or TV shows. "In the past, we've had lots of fairy tales and nostalgia, so it was cool to bring in some of the new movies rather than just books on their own." Book presentations were followed by a video recording of interviews with guest speakers Sophie Black and Pepe de Hoyos. Otago Girls' High School deputy head girl Meg Allison (left) and head girl Jessie McGrouther dress as Fiona and Shrek in front of the prefect team yesterday for the school's annual library day. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Ms Black graduated from Otago Girls' in 2004 and had since forged a career in the media industry, working as a director and writer for short film, music videos and documentary. She said her favourite projects had been ones with a social cause at their heart. Mr de Hoyos also has a career in media, having worked on MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules. Otago Girls' head girl Jessie McGrouther, 17, said library day was a fun day that bought the school together. "We all have a good laugh at everyone's costumes."
Otago Daily Times
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Warm choral music well received
The Royal Dunedin Male Choir performs at St Paul's Cathedral yesterday. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON Dunedin weather was certainly chilly yesterday, but St Paul's Cathedral was filled with support for warm, inviting choral music from the Royal Dunedin Male Choir's midwinter concert. The programme was supplemented with items from Otago Girls' and Otago Boys' High School choirs, both preparing for the Big Sing regional event next Monday, and the Otago University Sexytet. John Buchannan conducted, pianist was Linda Folland and David Burchell provided organ accompaniment for some items. The concert opened with a bracket of Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, by Vaughan Williams, a pleasant choral arrangement of The Wild Rovers by Mark Sirett and Wide Open Spaces by contemporary Canadian composer Sarah Quartel, which showed some fine tenor timbre. Their other items included an arrangement of Canlon Lan with good harmony and dynamics, a relaxed delivery of Pacem with violin obligato by Dean Hollebon, who also joined for Abide with Me. If Ever I Would Leave You and Abide With Me were both highlights musically, but on the whole vocal diction from all choral items needed more attention. Sexytet contributed three numbers: Bugle Boy of Company B, Guadeamus Igitur and Kai Waiata. The secondary school choirs each sang two contrasting works. The girls' Nautilas Chorale opened with Britten's popular Deo Gracias followed by All That Jazz accompanied by Will Martin (whose strength as a jazz pianist was ideal), but the song required more animated delivery and stronger top soprano lines. Fortress is a 16-member combined choir. Their contribution was Solitude by Chris Artley and a well-balanced arrangement of Time After Time. Both items required more detail to vocal enunciation. The boys' 14-member Mandate choir (accompanied by Sharon McLennan) sang In Flanders Fields and Mambo Italiano, which was highlighted with choreography. Best wishes to these choirs in their forthcoming Big Sing competition.
