On Wednesday 24 June, Dilworth School hosted the Young Singers in Harmony regional competition, marking a musical milestone for our department. For the very first time, Westlake Girls was represented in the barbershop category by both our newly formed quartet, Soliloquy, and our barbershop chorus, Swanderful.
This fantastic venture was spearheaded by Mr Robin Park, a teacher trainee at Westlake Girls who is also a national Barbershop champion, choral singer, and music arranger. Driven by his passion for barbershop, Mr Park established both the chorus and quartet earlier this year, guiding these students from scratch. The regional competition was not only the singers’ first time competing in barbershop, but also their very first performance together.
Swanderful made an impactful impression as the only all-female chorus at the entire event. They embraced the supportive atmosphere wholeheartedly, performing with immense energy while soaking up valuable inspiration from the other participating schools.
The highlight of the event came with the exciting announcement of the results: the Soliloquy Quartet has been officially invited to represent Westlake Girls at the National Young Singers in Harmony Competition in Wellington on 23 September!
We are incredibly proud of both ensembles for stepping out into new musical territory with such enthusiasm and skill. A huge thank you to Mr Park for his expert direction, and congratulations to all our singers on an outstanding debut!
