By Casey Neill
Dandenong High School students with a passion for song could lend their voices to a national choir concert.
Alex Lewis is a teacher at the school and the Melbourne Intervarsity Choral Festival external convenor.
The event has brought together choirs from universities around Australia for the past 70 years, and will next January come to Melbourne Town Hall with a full symphonic orchestra and the southern hemisphere’s second largest pipe organ.
For the first time, high school students will have the opportunity to take part – including those who performed in Dandenong High’s annual House Chorals on Tuesday 27 June.
Ms Lewis assisted with the event, held in the school’s Martin Culkin Theatre.
Leaders from the seven houses chose one of five set songs, all by Australian artists, plus a second song of their choice.
Grevillea House won with its performance of Never Tear Us Apart by INXS and Sing by YouTube acapella group Pentatonix.
Captain Britney, 17, had a tough time without co-captain Hoseah, who was unable to attend after making the grand finale of television singing contest The Voice.
“I had to hold down the group for him as well as try to encourage the kids,” she said.
“Most of them were very young so they were shy.
“We had to get them comfortable with their own thing.
“He was on the phone the whole time listening. I wish he was there.”
They only selected Sing a week out from the event.
“We didn’t have that much rehearsal,” Britney said.
“Everyone was so committed.
“Their passion for music was there and that’s all we needed.
“I look at each and every one of the Grevilleans as family.
“It wasn’t because of me that they won, but because of each and every one of their commitment.”
Britney loves to sing and hopes to become a music teacher.
