The 1st of August brought the annual Macleans College Gala: a grand showcase of singing, dancing and acting. This deeply impressive concert commenced at the beautiful, coastal ASB Waterfront with over 300 students who took part.
The performance opened with the powerful and booming performance of the school’s Kapa Haka group, opening the concert in the traditional New Zealand way. The group welcomed the audience and began the concert with the original Macleans College haka.
As always, Mr Davidson was the MC, cracking jokes left and right and centre, garnering tons of audience cheer.
The Chamber Orchestra came onto the stage afterwards, with their precious violins, violas, and cellos glimmering under the tech crew’s lights. They performed a famously renowned Japanese piece, A Town With An Ocean View from Kiki’s Delivery Service – composed by none other than Joe Hiashi. The Chamber Orchestra is entirely student-led, meaning all the students in the group make the decisions, schedule the rehearsals, and organise all the logistics. An impressive feat! The applause rang, and soon they left the stage.
A daring and exciting group came next, something that was not unlike any Chamber Orchestra or band: The Shakespeare group. A group of talented actors who took part in the Shakespeare Sheliah competition earlier this year. They took the stage to creatively recreate Scene 3 Act I of Romeo and Juliet. There was of course the “signature” tree prop that was actually previously used from last year, as it is almost a staple part of their act now.
This is the number of times I have performed a Shakespearean excerpt at the Macleans College Gala Concert. The first time was a five-minute piece from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and this year, it was a ten-minute performance of Romeo and Juliet. Assembling just ten minutes of stage work, which included choreographed dance and portraying romantic tension, was more challenging than most would assume. It required hours of rehearsal to create a seamless flow of moments. We needed to give each character purpose and ensure that the romance between Romeo and Juliet was evident from the start, while also keeping the audience engaged.
Moments before we went on stage, we refined the interactions between Romeo and Juliet. Performing in front of a large audience was exhilarating; the energy in the air made our opening ball scene take on a special beauty of its own. Meanwhile, the garden scene between Romeo and Juliet truly captured the audience’s hearts. Our entire group felt a strong sense of connection, and performing together at the Gala Concert was a significant opportunity that strengthened our bond.
– Nethra Tennakoon
Macapella took the stage next, with their iconic red bows in their hair. Singing an array of pieces that capsulated the entire audience with their voices, sounding majestic with the different tones blended together. The group sang notable songs such as Be Our Guest, from the Disney movie – The Beauty and The Beast, along with Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
Once Macapella glided off the stage, the one and only The Saxy Men took stage. A saxophone quartet with the soprano, the alto, the tenor, and of course the baritone. The performance was truly bright and playful, performing Sevilla from Espanola No.1, composed by Issac Albeniz and arranged by Marcel Mule.
“Never have I ever dreamed that The Saxy Men would have the opportunity to perform as an individual group in the prestigious gala concert. Because of this, I wanted to do the best that I can to make this a truly unforgettable night. We had so much fun and it turned out to be amazing, and I can confidently say this is one of the best memories I have in Macleans College.”
– Adrian Chen
The Saxy Men left the stage, and soon, Showquest dramatically emerged onto the stage in a blackout. Their ten-minute dance detailed a deep story about Leana, the main character, who loses herself to fit in the crowd, but eventually ends up finding herself again. A colour array of bright flashes and soft beams filled the stage, with the audience awed at the challenging choreography.
A short break followed, with Mr Davidson granting another silly joke about how the entire audience is locked inside the building.
The gala performance resumed with the well-renowned concert band. A mysterious start, but with a grand finish, the amazing talent of these musicians shined as always. The Concert Band performed The Goddess of Fire, a long, ten minute piece. With the loud finish, the shiny brass and woodwind instruments left the stage.
The lights dimmed again, and none other than the winner of Small House 2024 – The Rutherford Small House Choir – came onto the stage. The group performed Something In The Water, an iconic New Zealand song.
Following the Rutherford Small House Choir was the premier choir of them all – the famous Macleans College Chorale. The dedicated group performed the awning and recognisable song, What Was I Made For? By Billie Eilish, arr. by Jennifer Lucy Cook, among other great repertoires.
“It felt like we were constantly rehearsing, waiting and rushing around throughout the day. But, everything paid off in the end. The performance and music was so enjoyable for all of us.”
– Victoria Hsu, Chorale
The finale began, with what was an absolutely breathtaking performance with the Macleans Symphony Orchestra along with the chorale. The two groups have been working together to combine the sounds of strings and voices into one. The Symphony Orchestra accompanied two songs, which were “What A Wonderful World by Mark Hayes, and Hymn To The Fallen by John Williams. The smooth blend of the two groups encapsulated the grandeur atmosphere of the night. And with that, the gala performance concluded.
A massive congratulations to everyone who participated! It was truly an amazing experience for the audience to witness. Also another massive thank you to the teachers and staff who made this possible (not forgetting the tech crew), their assistance really led the night along.
16th August, 2024
Written by Emma Li, edited by Amelia Hu and Aaron Huang
Photography from the School Website
