Music

Westlake Girls is proud of its vibrant and busy Music Department with many and varied co-curricular ensemble groups that contribute to its longstanding reputation for excellence. Each Premier ensemble group has a development pathway leading in, ensuring that every young musician is developed, whatever their starting level. Our association with Westlake Boys High School allows us to cooperate in numerous mixed ensembles, providing socialisation through music making. For many years the Westlake schools have dominated regional and national music competitions as well as achieving great success in many international competitions.

2017 was an outstanding year of success for our premier groups. At the Big Sing Finale, our premier all-girls choir Cantare won a Gold award in only their third year of attending the Finale. Choralation received a Gold award and the Hutt City Trophy for ‘Best Performance of a New Zealand Work’. Choralation were also awarded the top Platinum prize for the seventh time. At the KBB Festival Westlake Symphony Orchestra were awarded Gold and ‘Best Performance of a Romantic Work’. Westlake Chamber Orchestra were awarded Gold and ‘Best Performance of a New Zealand Work’. Westlake Big Band were awarded Silver and Westlake Concert Band were awarded Gold and ‘Best Performance of an Arrangement’. Westlake Girls Symphonic Band competed for the first time and Taharoto Orchestra achieved a Commended Award.

In the NZ National Chamber Music Competition, our Konec trio and Mahuta trio competed at the finals. Mahuta Trio won two prestigious awards: People’s Choice and National Best Performance of a New Zealand Work.

In 2014 the last International music tour for the combined Westlake premier groups (124 students and 16 staff) travelled to Europe in July to perform music in Germany, Austria and Hungary over four weeks. The highlight of the tour was participating in the prestigious ‘Summa cum Laude’ Music Festival in Vienna – with amazing success.  After competing against school, youth and university level groups from around the world, Westlake came home with top honours in three out of the four categories:

• Westlake Concert Band   1st place
• Westlake Symphony Orchestra 1st equal
• Choralation 1st equal, Mixed Choirs section
• Westlake Chamber Orchestra 3rd place

During the year, all of the Westlake music ensembles perform within the school and for the local community, with annual highlights being the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ in Term 1 and the ‘Gala’ Showcase Concert in Term 3. In addition to this year’s regular music events calendar, Cantare choir competed in the ASPIRE International Youth Music Festival and participated in the Choralfest Choir Conference, both held in Brisbane in July. Cantare returned from the ASPIRE Festival with the top award for Best Performance, as well as winning their female voice category. Plans for touring in 2018 include Choralation choir who will be travelling (with Voicemale choir from WBHS) to Italy for a concert tour and competition in Florence.