Arts News Term 1, Week 5

DEBATING NEWS:

The 2025 Canterbury Inter-School Debating competition kicks off this Thursday evening at St Andrew's College for senior teams (Y11-13).  

The junior competition, which is hosted here at SMC, gets underway next Thursday evening. This year, we have four senior teams and up to 9 junior teams!

The senior Regionals tournament is also coming up soon on the weekend of March 8-9 and will be hosted at the University of Canterbury. Our four senior teams are taking part and will be hoping to do well. From this event, a team is chosen to represent Canterbury at the NZSDC Nationals in Wellington in May.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES:

THE LIONS CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOLS’ MUSIC FESTIVAL

The dates of the Music Festival this year are 4-7 November. 

REPRESENTATIVE GROUP APPLICATIONS

Representative group applications are now open. Talented singers and musicians from school can now apply for an audition to join a Representative Group - Junior & Senior Choir, Concert Band, Orchestra.  

If you are a student interested in auditioning for any of these groups - Junior Choir Year 5-6 and Senior Choir Year 7 and 8, or you play an instrument Grade 3 up, then you can apply for an audition to be part of a representative group in the Christchurch schools' music festival. 

Applications are made online on the Festival website here and close on April 1st. Parents must complete the application so that they are aware of the rehearsal and performance commitments.

Poster Competition

Every year, we run a poster competition for schools. Schools are invited to submit their students’ poster designs to the CSMF Poster competition. The winning poster design will be used to advertise the 2025 Music Festival season on our posters, programmes, and ticketing.

The theme this year is “Whānau – friends and family”.  Songs will include messages about being a good friend and supporting your family and loved ones. We would love the poster that advertises our concerts as a work of art that reflects our theme.  The theme can also include a link to music in some way, but it does not have to. Posters chosen in the past have often been quite simple but effective and not too busy. We love bright colours done in coloured pencil or paint and the poster can also be digitally created if you wish. 

The winning artwork will be seen by thousands of Cantabrians, and the winner will receive $100 and another $100 for their school!

Entries can be digital or on paper.  For more information and the entry conditions, click here.

AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF A CHILDREN’S CHORUS IN A PROFESSIONAL OPERA 

Preparations for La bohème are now underway! As part of our casting, we will be assembling a small children’s chorus of unbroken voices. Children between the ages of 8-14 years are invited to apply to audition.

We are hosting auditions in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland (Saturday 15th March | 1.30pm – 3.30pm),  Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington (Saturday 22nd March | 11.00am – 1.00pm)

Ōtautahi | Christchurch (Monday 31st March | 4.30pm – 6.30pm) Venue: The Piano, 156 Armagh Street Christchurch 

For more information, please email karen@nzopera.co.nz. Please apply using this link

SUPPORTING MUSICIANS OF THE FUTURE

NATIONAL CONCERTO COMPETITION FINALS PERFORMANCE

We would love to see as many students—musicians or keen enthusiasts, pianists or instrumentalists—attend. Please come and support the three piano finalists, one of whom is as young as 14 and still in high school. Regardless of the outcome, we'll no doubt hear Shan Liu's name in the future.

The programme will consist of Piano Concerto No.1 - by Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No.2 - by Brahms and Prokofiev's - Piano Concerto No.3 on SAT MARCH 22, accompanied by CSO and James Judd. Please note the 7pm start time.

All students will be given special seating to enable them to have the best view of the performers.

Tickets are heavily subsidised at $5, plus a booking fee of $2.50, totalling only $7.50 per ticket (staff or student). 

All tickets need to be booked via Carmel at typerite@xtra.co.nz. Vouchers will be sent to you (1 per person) and need to be handed in with payment at the door on the night.  Ticket requests need to be with Carmel by Friday, 14 March.

CHRISTCHURCH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AMBASSADORS

CSO Ambassadors is an opportunity for students with a passion for music to get closer to the action of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. If you’re of intermediate age and above, this is for you!

Throughout the year, you’ll get to know CSO musicians and receive invitations to selected rehearsals and concerts, all in the name of spreading the word about CSO amongst your peers. Meetings will be held in June, August and October.  Contact office@cso.co.nz

SMC PERFORMANCE CELEBRATIONS:

The girls have been busy over the past couple of weeks. Here are some of the performances they’ve been involved in: 

Tinā Performance /film premiere Town Hall    

The Chamber Choir was invited to perform at the Town Hall as part of the premiere of the film Tinā, which is now on general release. Tinā is a 2024 New Zealand drama film written and directed by Miki Magasiva. Mareta, grieving her daughter’s death in the Christchurch quakes, becomes a teacher at an elite Christchurch school and finds her joy after establishing a school choir and performing in the Big Sing event, the nationwide secondary schools choral festival.  There are many noticeable Christchurch landmarks and sights.

The SMC Chamber Choir performed before the film alongside Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and was invited to attend the premiere showing. 

KAPA HAKA

On 19th February, the Year 11 - 13 Kapa Haka girls joined the Tahitian exchange students and Christ's College senior Kapa Haka in a visit to Rehua Marae for an experience of Te Ao Māori. They were welcomed onto the marae with a pōwhiri, shared kai in a hākari (feast) at the conclusion of the pōwhiri, and then listened as two of the kaumātua talked about the history of the wharenui, and the meaning of the art forms of tukutuku, the whakairo on the pou, and kowhaiwhai patterns on the rafters. Our Kapa Haka girls then sang the waiata Tōku Reo, tōku ohooho (My language, my awakening) as a mihi (thanks) to the kaumātua for their sharing. The Christ's College boys joined them. There followed a fun session exploring traditional Māori rākau games and a workshop on Māori rākau combat moves. It was an excellent time of cultural sharing and whanaungatanga for the Tahitians and our students and their brother school, an initiative we will build on in the future. 

CHRIST’S COLLEGE 175th CELEBRATION

The school band was invited to share in local celebrations. Christ’s College was celebrating its accolade of being the oldest school in Christchurch with a 175th anniversary evening. 

DRAMA UPDATES 

Shakespeare Festival rehearsals are well underway as our students prepare for the Regional Competition taking place in April. We would love our whanāu to attend the Shakespeare Dress Rehearsal Performance - all family and friends are welcome to be an audience for the four Shakespeare teams entered. Details below.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY OPPORTUNITIES:

NATIONAL YOUTH DRAMA SCHOOL (NYDS)

An amazing experience for the forthcoming school holidays - Calling all performers! https://nyds.co.nz/about-nyds/

SENIOR SCHOOL ARTS COUNCIL NEWS

We are very pleased to say that the arts at St Margaret’s are full steam ahead for 2025! Our co-curricular groups are underway for the year and are preparing for the many amazing displays of creative technology and performing arts. The Senior Arts Council convened for the first time just last week, brainstorming ideas for the exciting year to come and the legacy we want to leave. With visual arts, debating, technical, creative technologies, dance, drama, kapa haka, and instrumental and vocal music, we are working to create and foster a culture of appreciation, spirit, and mana in which every student is supported and encouraged to participate and do their best in the arts!

In terms of recent events, our varied co-curricular groups are already excelling in performances and rehearsals. Here at SMC, we are also preparing for the Big Sing competition! Additionally, the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival has begun! SMC is entering FOUR amazing student-directed scenes this year. The rehearsals are looking fabulous, and we can’t wait to see the girls shine. Sheilah Winn also offers many other arts competitions, including songwriting, essays, videography and artistic competitions. There is truly something for everyone, and it’s not too late to participate. 

Arts at St Margarets is also already having a reach outside the community: a massive shoutout to those who participated in Top Dog Theatre’s Richard the Third, including students Harriet Thorp, Sadhbh O’Neill, Old Girl CJ Horray, and talented staff member Ms Moran. The show was an incredibly engaging take on Shakespeare’s classic. Congratulations on all your hard mahi. 

Keep an eye out for this newsletter and other events throughout the term where students have the opportunity to perform, support their fellow big and little sisters, and update the community on the arts at SMC!

Emily and Lucia ✨

Head and Deputy Head of Arts 

We have a huge and diverse array of Co-Curricular Arts groups now up and running, including Creative Technologies and Visual Arts. Photos of students enjoying ePro8, Digi Tech and Art Extension.

FORTHCOMING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

29th March - 2 - 2.45pm (Charles Luney Auditorium)

Shakespeare Festival teams Dress Rehearsal

31 March - 3.45pm Itinerant Music Concert (CLA)

Come and celebrate our young musicians as they perform a variety of music.

2 April - 7.30pm Orchestra Extravaganza (Christ’s College)

Support our talented musicians as they join forces with Christ’s College and Rangi Ruru Girls’ School to perform as a massed orchestra.

3 April - 5pm Twilight Concert (CLA)

Celebrate the end of term with our young artists performing an arts showcase presenting work across our co-curricular groups in drama, dance, music and more.

6 April - Shakespeare Festival Regional Competition