Grand stage performance

Thirty Narrabri Public School students travelled to Sydney earlier this month where they performed at the 2019 Festival of Choral Music, hosted inside the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Three North West Schools took part in the event on Monday, September 2 – Narrabri Public School, Armidale’s Ben Venue Public School and Tamworth South Public School.

More than 700 students performed on the night at the Sydney Opera House.

Narrabri Public School teacher/choirmaster Sharon Stoltenberg described the night as ‘magnificent.’

“There were 740 students on that stage on the night,” Mrs Stoltenberg said.

“It was just incredible, honestly it was a blast.

“They sang their 11 songs as a mass choir and it was magnificent, just a wonderful experience.”

The Narrabri students and Mrs Stoltenberg submitted an audition piece in November 2018.

In January Mrs Stoltenberg received the news that the Narrabri Public School choir’s application was successful.

“I remember I was sitting having lunch with someone and I just screamed,” she said.

“It’s really, really hard to get in.

“The festival is quite advanced, it is really complicated singing.

“We had 11 songs and we distributed those to the girls, they all got their own music book.

“Then every week since February we took Sopranos on a Monday and Altos on a Tuesday.

“Later in the year we introduced a Wednesday afternoon session, while still doing the Monday and Tuesdays, where we put the two parts together.”

Mrs Stoltenberg said that the Narrabri Public School choir students rose to the occasion and were a talented group of children.

“I remember when we got the choir together I was listening to them and I thought ‘wow, these kids really do have some strong voices’,” she said.

“I was so excited.

“The kids were so dedicated, their commitment was phenomenal and they were so amazing through the whole process.”

Mrs Stoltenberg said that she was determined to help the Narrabri Public School choir get the chance to perform on such a grand stage.

“I’ve just returned from Newcastle, I’m a Narrabri girl but I’ve been away for 25 years, but I’ve done musical theatre and choirs all my life,” she said.

“My school in Newcastle got in and as soon as I decided to return home I said to myself I’m going to do this for these kids because I was one of those kids with a passion for something and sometimes you don’t get that same opportunity.”

Before the three North West schools travelled to Sydney they joined one another in Tamworth for a group rehearsal which was attended by Festival of Choral Music student music programs officer Ian Jefferson who is a actually a Gunnedah boy.

Mrs Stoltenberg thanked colleague Vanessa Charlton ‘who looked after a lot of the administration side of things’ and helped prepare the choir for the event.