World Choir Games: All you need to know

More than 10,000 people from 40 countries will descend on Tāmaki Makaurau next week for the 13th World Choir Games.

Organisers say it will be a 'spectacle to behold' for New Zealand fans, particularly those living in Auckland.

John Rosser, the Artistic and Games Director, says from 10-25 July, the city will be in full voice as 11,000 singers visit venues across Tāmaki.

Close to 250 choirs, representing a range of music styles will compete across 56 categories, he told Pacific Days' Ma'a Brian Sagala.

"The first 14 categories have to do with your choir types: Children, adults, seniors, chamber, school, youth, that sort of thing," Rosser, who is with the New Zealand Choral Federation, said.

"The other categories are choir or choral genre-type or music style: Gospel, pop, jazz, barbershop, sacred, acapella, sacred, accompanied, contemporary music, or folk and indigenous music, which is popular with our New Zealand choirs.

"It's just going to be massive. You'll see choirs in the streets all around central Auckland. And of course, in the various venues, we're taking over almost all of the major acoustic venues in downtown Auckland.

"There are six days - 11-13 and 17-19 - that are specifically about the competition and about some of the evening concerts as well. They're particularly focused days. They're special, so you're gonna wanna book for and go and see a whole range of stuff.

"In the middle of those, we have a little bit of a hiatus when we go and look after some other choral business and do another special couple of concerts."

The theme of the games, held every two years, is unity in fair competition through song - that music can act as a bridge between countries and cultures.

There will be 55 New Zealand groups from all over the motu - from Dunedin to Kaitāia - competing at the World Choir Games.

The Pacific Spirit experience will be held at the Auckland Town Hall, Hōro ā-Tāone o Tāmaki Makaurau on Saturday 13 July.

One of the Pacific groups, Primanavia, from Fiji, was hosted by the New Zealand High Commission in Suva on Tuesday. Primanavia stands for Pasifika Prima Voce & ManaVia.

This is the first time a choir from Fiji is participating in the games. Primanavia performed at the NZ envoy's residence in Suva for staff and families.

"It was spellbinding," one high commission official said. "We had a glimpse of Primanavia’s amazing talent, passion, and creativity as the choir sang and performed for our staff and families at the New Zealand Official Residence.

"New Zealand is pleased to have been able to contribute towards the choir’s travel costs so that a global audience has a chance to hear Fiji’s beautiful voices."

There will be 36 judges across the 28 categories and open and champion levels. Category winners will be awarded gold, silver, or bronze diplomas and medals in the open and champion competition.

Rosser said the NZCF was scheduled to host the World Symposium on Choral Music in 2020 but that was cancelled due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.

"Our main funders, the government through MB and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited came to us and said, would you help us bid for this other festival that, you know, we hope to do after Covid's over? You know, next year they said.

"Well, we said, yeah, sure, we're not doing anything else we'll help you bid for that. So this is the World Choir Games, five times as big as the symposium, a very different kind of thing, but all about the choirs.

"We won the bid and here we are four years later, just a week out, finally hoping to deliver this amazing world event."