In 2025, a full quarter of the top-performing secondary school choirs in Aotearoa New Zealand's 'Big Sing' Finale came from Anglican schools.
That's some feat with Anglican schools taking up less than 11% of the total 165 school choirs taking part in the New Zealand Choral Federation's Aotearoa-wide Big Sing festivals this year.
Anglican school choirs reached The Big Sing Finale from: Auckland – Dilworth School (Fortissimo), King's College (Kappella) and Diocesan School for Girls (St Cecilia Singers), Wellington – Samuel Marsden Collegiate (Altissime) and Chilton Saint James School (Seraphim) and Kirikiriroa – Waikato Diocesan School for Girls (Bel Suono).
Also qualifying for the New Zealand Choral Federation's 2025 Cadenza festivals for regional finalists were five more Anglican school choirs: St Margaret’s College (Chamber Choir), King's College (All The King's Men), St Matthew's Collegiate (Schola Cantorum), Woodford House (Chapel Choir), and Craighead Diocesan School (Chorale).
Director of Choirs at Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral Auckland, and choral expert Peter Watts MNZM was one of the adjudicators at The Big Sing 2025 finale, while Hāhi Mihinare waiata-a-tira expert David Tapene of Te Hui Amorangi o te Tai Tokerau adjudicated the award of top new composition in Te Reo Māori.
Peter Watts joined the panel that awards gold, silver or bronze gongs to each of the 24 top choirs, for whom reaching the Finale is already an outstanding achievement, placing them ahead of 141 school choirs amongst the total of 7000+ students taking part.
Peter Watts was surprised to hear that Anglican schools made up 25% of the nation's top choirs this year, but could see how Anglican special character might help that to happen.
"Just as Pasifika kids have the advantage of singing at church and community events, and Māori kids have the advantage of that and kapa haka, schools in the Anglican tradition have that structure of singing in chapel services, and when the Christian schools value singing it attracts specialist teachers who can focus on choirs."
This year four Presbyterian school choirs, one Catholic and one non-denominational Christian school choir made it to The Big Sing Finale too, making 50% of the national finalist choirs from Christian schools.
Peter acknowledged that while Christian faith plays a strong role at Te Matatini and Polyfest festivals around the motu, it's not so different in Pākehā music, where Christian texts are often at the heart of repertoire.
"In European cultures most art music is religious and most visual art is religious and has been for centuries...so it's pretty hard to put together a choral programme without sacred music in it...so you'll see all these secular choirs are singing sacred music."
Waikato Diocesan School for Girls' Choir Director Maria Colvin says the school and its Board of Proprietors have strongly supported choral music over her ten years in the role.
"We have a healthy school singing culture as part of our special character – in chapel, house singing, barbershop groups, and our waiata are always part of that, including in our half an hour of school singing each week."
Maria says that the intensity of the choral competitions means she leans into her own faith in her choir mahi.
"I always pray before we go on stage and our chaplain prayed for us as we left for the Finale. God is in everything I do with and for this group – and God is at the centre of our school."
Peter Watts believes there's an innate spirituality in singing together, that many people get a glimpse of as they take part.
"I've always felt there is a spiritual dimension to singing together. I think of the creation story of God breathing life into the world, and in C.S. Lewis' books the world came into being through singing. That's a very strong picture...and when we sing together we are breathing together, sharing the air..."
Wellington Cathedral suborganist Max Toth says he felt an inkling of that spiritual power at The Big Sing as a teenager back in 2017.
This year Max came back as a faithful Anglican, on deck to play the organ and piano for Samuel Marsden Collegiate's Altissime choir.
"The students might not get the spirituality of the music they are singing now, but sometime in the future it will click."
"It wasn't until I was in my 20s that I was able to comprehend that spiritual dimension. But these experiences are necessary ...for sowing the seeds of that realisation further down the line."
Dilworth School's Xavier Jennings-Sio was Fortissimo's soloist in their Big Sing Finale performance of "Go down Moses." Xavier says it changes everything to sing in a sacred context.
"It's the intangibles that make a difference to how it feels, there's a presence among you making you feel safe and supported and all those things that make you a better person."
Dilworth Head chorister Sean Lile said the choir was also a great way to form strong bonds of support as a team, while choir mate Garnett Tofilau said he appreciates the potential of choirs to work together on a product that inspires and moves people.
Samuel Marsden's Deputy Principal Jenny Caldwell has also seen the way a strong Anglican singing culture can connect students with valuable lessons.
"Yes they sing all the time for chapel, but it's also about listening to each other, learning each other's languages, and learning from each other as they go along."
"I have seen my own daughter reaching into faith and learning more through singing, and learning a lot about patience and perseverance along the way."
The Big Sing Finale performances are all on Youtube listed by Finale session, choir and school under the New Zealand Choral Federation Big Sing 2025 banner, while the titles below link to one song highlight for each of the top six Anglican school choirs.
Chilton Saint James School, Seraphim | A Puppet’s Dream – Darius Lim
Dilworth School | Fortissimo | Hala Kuo Papa – Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga
Diocesan School for Girls, St Cecilia Singers | J’entends le moulin – trad. Québécois
King’s College Kappella | Ta Koe Sola – Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga
Samuel Marsden Collegiate, Altissime | Pavane for Spring - Eugene Butler
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