Great music doesn’t stop when you leave school. And that was one of the messages shared with our senior musicians at this year’s Music Awards Evening.
Held at Fairway, a new venue for the event, the evening brought together Westlake Girls and Westlake Boys to celebrate the dedication, commitment and achievements of our Year 11–13 students involved in co-curricular music.
Students, families, music staff, school leaders and Board members gathered to recognise another busy year of rehearsals, performances, competitions and everything that goes on behind the scenes.
A highlight of the evening was hearing from guest speaker Sam Nicholson (Class of 2018), who shared how music continues to play an important part in his life.
Now working as a lawyer, Sam still sings with the New Zealand Youth Choir, plays clarinet with the West City Big Band and contributes to the governance of national music organisations.
His message to our Year 13 leavers was a lovely one: keep music in your life, wherever your future takes you. You never know what friendships, opportunities or experiences might come from it.
Congratulations to our 2026 Music Award recipients:
- Excellence in Music Performance: Gabeen Sim
- Excellence in Contemporary Music: Hollie Blackwell
- Excellence in Ensemble Music: Piper Donaldson
- Leadership in Instrumental Music: Limin Khaw
- Leadership in Choral Music: Hannah Smith and Alice Oh
- Leadership in Music Department: Charlotte Smith
- Leadership in Performance: Hannah Smith
- Accompanist Trophy: Veronica Liang
- Creativity in Music: Hannah Smith and Veronica Liang
- Most Promising Songwriter: Hollie Blackwell and Kimberly Paula Quiambao
Congratulations to all our award recipients and every student who has contributed to Westlake’s music programme this year. Behind every performance are hours of practice, teamwork and plenty of commitment, and this evening was a chance to celebrate it all.
