'It was not easy': Primanavia overcome challenges to win gold

The Primanavia Fiji choir achieved a resounding victory, earning a gold medal in the 'Folklore and Indigenous Music with Choreography category' at the 13th World Choir Games in Auckland on Monday.

Primanavia, comprising the Pasifika Prima Voce and ManaVia choirs, united to proudly represent Fiji at the event, which has been referred to as "the Olympic games of singing".

The 23-member choir, with the youngest member 11 and the oldest is 40, was brought together about seven weeks ago by Sunia Soko, the president of Primanavia, and his sister.

Fiji’s Primanavia Choir perform their gold-award winning item from the World Choir Games below:

But while the siblings joined forces and delivered an outstanding performance in Auckland, it was not smooth sailing.

"We started but we only had a month and three weeks at that time. We had to think about logistics, production and the cost," Soko said.

"It was not easy to find the money [with] a month and a bit left."

Soko and his sister organised fundraisers and sent out proposals to corporate organisations hoping to get enough sponsors to make the trip.

"Thank god three came through; Fiji Airways, the Fiji Arts Council and the New Zealand Foreign Affairs Ministry … sent a grant through the World Choir Games. That's how it all began."

Winning a gold at the World Choir Games was even sweeter as the majority of the choir members had never set foot on an airplane before.

"Seventy percent of our kids are on the plane for the first time," Soko shared.

"I'm so thankful that we only did not represent Fiji we, represented the Pacific.

"I only wished we had more Pacific islands coming to compete in the music in this coral at the World Choir Games."

The 23-member choir, with the youngest member 11 and the oldest is 40, was brought together about seven weeks ago by Sunia Soko, the president of Primanavia, and his sister. Photo: Facebook / Primanavia

The World Choir Games is the largest choral competition globally, with over 11,000 singers from 30 countries coming together to perform.

Soko recalls the night they were announced as the winners; he heard the results starting from bronze, to silver and when it got to gold, he said was in shock.

"Then they announced Premanavia, it was surreal. But right now, I am so thankful for the hard work of his 23 vocalists and choir members, it has really shown."

Soko has been in the music industry for 12 years and said singing was part of their DNA.

"We sing in funerals, we sing in when we have kava, we sing everywhere. This is something that we can do really well. We do not have to mimic any other style.

"You have the Asian sound, you have the Europe sound, you have the American sound, you have the African continent sound. But the world has yet to hear the Pacific sound.

"At the World Choir Games we get to be proud of being a [Pacific] islander."

He said just a good voice is not enough for a world stage.

"If people saw our social media on Facebook, they would see these kids were running up the hill running and singing.

It was something that I always encouraged the singers to believe in is you have to live healthy in order to sing healthily.

"If there is no hard work, you are not getting anything," he added.

Primanavia is now preparing for the Tri-Nations competition set to be held in Denmark next year, where only the elites who have won choir competitions, such as the World Choir Games, get to compete.

Meanwhile, the curtains will fall on the Auckland World Choir Games on Saturday.

This was first published by RNZ Pacific.