As the largest regional youth music event in New Zealand, the KBB Music Festival provides over 5,000 young musicians with the opportunity to compete at the Holy Trinity Cathedral over five days. The festival showcases Symphony Orchestras, Chamber Orchestras, Concert Bands and Jazz Bands. This year, there were 156 groups representing 56 schools from the greater Auckland regions, Wellington, Hamilton, Cambridge and Kaitaia. At the end of the competition, four ensembles with the highest marks are invited to perform in two Gala concerts on the Saturday afternoon and evening, after which the awards are presented. The awards range from Commended, Highly Commended, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and there are special awards for specific pieces that stand out as the Best Performance of the festival.
Westlake has a large number of instrumental ensembles – including mixed premier groups with students from Westlake Boys. The students have worked hard in rehearsals and workshops since the beginning of the year towards this performance opportunity, and every ensemble played their absolute best on the day. Congratulations to the following groups, their Music Directors and the instrument tutors, for these fantastic results:
Taharoto Strings (directed by Joo Yeon Lee) BRONZE Award
Westlake Girls Symphonic Band (directed by Jono Howan) BRONZE Award
Westlake Girls Jazz Band (directed by Jono Howan) SILVER Award
Westlake Girls and Boys Chamber Orchestra (directed by Joo Yeon Lee) SILVER Award
Westlake Girls and Boys Symphony Orchestra (directed by David Squire) GOLD Award
- Best Performance of a Romantic Work (Poet and Peasant – Suppé)
- Best Performance of a Work in an ‘Other’ Style (Candide – Bernstein)
Westlake Girls and Boys Concert Band (directed by Warwick Robinson) GOLD Award
- Best Performance of a New Zealand Work (Shō Jù Op.20 for Piano, Peking Orchestra – Yu Yang)
Westlake Girls and Boys Big Band (directed by Eddie Hare) GOLD Award
- Best Performance of a Work in an ‘Other’ Style (What About Me? – Snarky Puppy).
Photo credits Deane Cohen.