Music will resound from the town hall from today as 22 secondary school choirs from all over the country sing their hearts out in the Big Sing national finale.

The three-day event, opening today, will run until Saturday night.

Villa Maria choir student leader Kate Oorschot said it was amazing to be in Wellington at the final as their hard work had paid off.

"It's amazing. We all love performing - it's electric really."

Five of the choirs are from Wellington - Chilton St James School, Tawa College, Wellington College, Wellington East Girls' College, and Wellington Girls' College.

National coordinator Elizabeth Crayford said each choir will have two recitals, with three songs in each. The songs will be chosen from the categories: New Zealand music, pre-1930's western baroque, and modern chorale, which will include jazz, gospel and musical show.

A panel of three adjudicators will look for technical skill, vocal quality and performance style in choirs, Ms Crayford said. Choirs will also be judged on diction, consistency of intonation and interpretation.

All choirs will perform at the Gala concert on Saturday night, where the winners will be announced.

Four guest choirs that showed potential will be performing alongside the 18 competing choirs.

St Kents guest choir member Isaac Barukh said they were excited to be invited down to Wellington to the final.

"We are quite a young choir compared to the others, so it's good to get some experience."

Ms Crayford said Wellingtonians should be on the watch for choir flash mobs around the city over the next few days.

"We want them to do some zany singing and film it somewhere in the city," she said.

The public is invited to the day-time recital sessions for $5, the price of the programme. Evening sessions tonight and tomorrow will be $10 - 15, and start at 7.30.

The gala concert on Saturday night, where all choirs will perform, will start at 6.30 and cost $25.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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