We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary with a concert on Sunday December 5th, so pencil that date into your diary.
We are singing some of our best-loved music from those 25 years, and we welcome new members and old to come to rehearsals and experience the pure pleasure of learning some classic favourites.
All choir members are entitled to see, read and otherwise have access to our constitution – recently amended to comply with state government requirements.
To get a copy for yourself click on the button below.
Constitutions don’t write, edit, study and eventually submit themselves.
Thanks Helen, Alison and Juliet for getting it DONE!
We are back from our ‘Covid Suspension’ and couldn’t be happier. We have picked up where we left off – singing the same repertoire we had to leave in March 2020 – great music associated with films. We are bopping Grease and singing our warmest tones for “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
Even though we’ve suspended our weekly rehearsals you can still practice your music.
Practice CDs were distributed on March 16. If you weren’t there contact your section leader for a CD. (SATB: Liz Troon, Elyse Bourgault, Margaret Martin, Joe Sczeczny).
Files for use with Avid Scorch (Only on iPad) and Musescore Songbook (iOS & Android)
[table “6” not found /]Singing in a choir isn’t about being a wonderful singer, though we have some wonderful singers. We all learn and improve.
Singing in a choir isn’t about performing in public. We do enjoy a concert as an opportunity to share the music we’ve worked with, and to enjoy our singing with the frisson of excitement (or stage fright) that tunes our performance up a few notches. You – our audience – give us that fright and we love it.
We get our true value from weekly rehearsals. We sing. Every week. Together. We learn something new. We practice something we should know, and we build up our skills and understanding.
We laugh. We share supper. We are happy for each other’s happiness (a new grandchild, a better job), and we support each other during ill health or sadness. We work together towards a goal. We become a community.
Here are some of the reasons I leave home on a hot evening or in the cold of the winter.
And that’s just me. Every choir member will have their own ‘fixes’ that bring them back to sing together every week.
We know we will be starting with a semester of classical music; generally single pieces rather than a major work.
We will also be looking at building a core repertoire so we’ll be singing some familiar music from last year too.
Adding opera choruses to the mix will spice things up – and also force us to concentrate on diction and speed at the same time!
Changes and Challenges were a theme for the choir in 2018.
It began quietly enough with songs from World War I – sung with stirring patriotism, haughty imperialism, tragedy and humour. We presented these songs at an open rehearsal in June with audience members taking part in sections of the rehearsal – notably the warmups and supper!
We had already faced change and challenge by then: our MD, Kate Oliver, was lured away by a wonderful job offer. With her support we faced the challenge and embraced the change and were soooo lucky to be able to appoint Rachel Martella to take Kate’s place. Rachel’s musical and teaching skills are matched a warmth and humour that have endeared her to us all.
In July some choir members took part in an amazing experience at the State Theatre Centre. “The Events” by David Greig had us transfixed as we became (a large and active) prop in a play exploring the violence of mass shootings. We who attended found new depths to the play and our admiration of the actors grew over the three nights we ‘starred` along with a couple of chairs and a cup of tea as..
And then the real challenge.
We’ve been offered the opportunity to sing in the opera “Speechless” during the Perth International Arts Festival.
“I am writing on behalf of Tura New Music to invite you to perform in the Choirs for Cat Hope’s wordless Opera Speechless, to be premiered in the 2019 Perth Festival at the Sunset old Men’s home in Dalkeith. We are compiling 90 singers to be part of 3 choirs for the season. These singers will be combined with 4 soloists and a 30-piece orchestra for the final stage development of the work and presentation. The work uses a unique graphic score comprising of non-traditional notation of images, symbols and instructions which will be visible throughout the performance.
Luke Donohoe
For more information about this opportunity head to the page “Speechless”. If you want to take part there’s a sign-up form on that page.