After a three week whirlwind choral tour of Canada as a member of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Choir, Year 12 student Aidan Phillips says he is feeling more inspired than ever.
The group performed each night at the International Choral Kathaumixw as the guest choir in front of crowds similar to what could fit in Waikato Stadium.
“It was pretty nerve racking at first but we were very welcomed so in the end we didn’t have anything to be nervous about,” Aidan said.
The festival attracted 1000 singers from across the world and featured traditional choral music as well as interesting compilations and traditional dance.
“It was a mixture of everything you could possibly want. Alongside the traditional church choral music they had some amazing imaginative ideas. There were some really interesting traditional dance as well.”
His favourite performances were from Fullerton College in the United States and the competition’s winners, the Kowloon Boys Choir.
“They were a group of high school students who beat university students for the title of best choir in the world, so that was really impressive.”
The young vocalist wants to be a music teacher, he plans to study at Victoria University when graduating from St Paul’s and says his involvement at the International Choral Kathaumixw has given him incredible inspiration.
“It brought a new level to my music education that I hadn’t considered before. We spent three weeks in complete immersion with choirs from all around the world so we really got to know their music and their traditions.”
He said the experience showed him the power of music and importance of musical education for his personal growth.
“To get thousand voices from all over the world to gather to perform and just enjoy ourselves shows us the unity of music.”
Following the festival, Aidan and the group performed each night along the coast of Victoria Island, an island off the coast of British Columbia.
He said the group performed mostly for small rural towns that had a connection to the festival or with native communities in the area.
“It was a phenomenal experience and a cool way to get a real sense of the Canadian culture."
