Hamilton Wins College House Music!

Vodafone Events Centre has played host to heavyweight boxing fights, dance competitions, culture expos and stage competitions, all of which were out-hyped by the College House Music extravaganza last night! House Music is the one event when up to 200 members of each House, including the boarding house, Bruce House, can compete together in the choir competition, with Cargill, Chalmers, Hamilton and Wishart also entering rock bands in the small ensemble category. It adds a much-enjoyed cultural element to the House rivalry, complementing the swimming, athletics and cross country sporting contests. A record House Music crowd of parents, grandparents, fellow students, friends and supporters filled the Sir Woolf Fisher Arena at Vodafone Events Centre to cheer on the performers and root for their House!

The massed choirs have been performing for weeks under the direction of their House prefects. The choir songs are selected from a category chosen by the Head of Music, with Mr Ross Gerritsen opting for the best of the 1980s this year. We were privileged to have an esteemed panel of judges to adjudicate the performances: Emma Featherston, the Director of Music at King’s School and Professional Teaching Fellow at Auckland University; Jimmy Mac, the keyboardist for international superstar, Lorde; and Andrew Wilson, the guitarist and frontman for successful New Zealand band Die! Die! Die! The trio had the tough job of deciding the winners based on criteria including vocal quality, musical accuracy, presentation and originality, ensemble cohesion and overall effectiveness.

Last year’s overall winners, Wishart House, opened the evening with Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ followed by Hamilton’s rendition of ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’ made famous by Joan Jett. Chalmers House donned pyjamas to sing ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ by Wham, while Cargill wore white shirts and gloves  to belt out Michael Jackson’s classic, ‘Billie Jean.’ Bruce House’s smaller choir more than made up for its fewer voices with a heartfelt take on the Whitney Houston tune, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody.’ Despite all of the songs being released before the students were born, their appreciation and enthusiasm for each of the tracks belied their age!

The Houses are given open slather to choose the song for their small ensemble performance. Most choose to arrange a medley of old favourites and recent hits and incorporate a dance component to impress the judges. While the judges were deliberating the choir, small ensemble and overall winners, a 13-piece staff took the stage to perform ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Respect’ with teachers, Mr Al Ronberg and Mrs Clo Chaperon on vocals. The delighted students rushed the stage to dance in scenes reminiscent of Beatle-mania!

On behalf of the Judges, Emma Featherston said the performances were ‘absolutely mindblowing.’ ‘It’s great to see New Zealand music is in great hands at SKC.’ The results were dominated by Hamilton House, which won the choir and small ensemble categories to emphatically lift the House Music Cup for 2016! Congratulations to Hamilton and all the performers for a wonderful night of entertainment! 

House Choir 

1st: Hamilton

2nd: Bruce House

3rd=: Chalmers, Wishart

5th: Cargill 

House Ensemble

1st: Hamilton

2nd: Chalmers

3rd: Wishart

4th: Cargill

House Music Cup

1st: Hamilton

2nd: Chalmers

3rd: Wishart

4th: Cargill

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