ZEAL first formed in around April 2015 when I finally joined the Greater Auckland Chorus (a Sweet Adelines women’s barbershop group) after having already lived in Auckland for TWO YEARS! I met two lovely young gals at GAC who were looking for a fourth member of their quartet. It was almost like fate as I was crossing my fingers that I would be able to get myself into a quartet since I had always dreamed of doing this….. so just like that things were off to a great start.
Our first ever performance was at the Auckland regional Young Women in Harmony competition, held at Macleans College in June. I was unbelievably nervous, which was unusual since I’m used to performing solo but I think something about singing tenor in a quartet is quite exposing! But, I got through it and I was PROUD!
We spent most of last year getting a couple of contest songs together as preparation for the national Sweet Adelines competition which just took place – we’re all students so we have to work around each others schedules to find time to practice but we do what we can.
I was back home to Nelson for the summer but when I returned in February 2016 it was full steam ahead with only 8 or 9 weeks lead up to contest. We did a test run of our contest package at a chorus performance 10 days before competition, it went alright but we were definitely getting ready to put our BEST ever performance onto that stage.
On the afternoon of the 29th April, we hit the stage of the Michael Fowler Centre. To say we were nervous was an understatement but we went out there and we held it together! Our ballad was the lovely ‘At Last’ and we sang popular uptune ‘Driving Me Crazy’.
In terms of the results of the competition, we had absolutely zero expectations – we just wanted to do the best performance we could and to be able to say that we gave it 100%. Suffice to say, we were extraordinarily shocked and thrilled when we received 3rd place and the Novice Quartet award (for the best first time competitor)!
HOORAH!
It was such an amazing weekend and the support we received from our fellow chorus members, quartet competitors, and Sweet Adelines was utterly astounding.
And now we prepare to compete in the International Rising Star Youth Quartet Contest…. bring it on! xx
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