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About the choirs participating in chOir-tly LOUD

Introduction

More than 30 choirs are participating in chOir-tly LOUD festival of song. These include 26 community choirs, a local group, the Swingeleles that really sings as an accompaniment to playing the ukulele, and four local school choirs. Some such as Swing Out Mama, the Challis Singers, Aqualuna or Alchemy a Capella from the suburbs of Sydney or local groups the Berkeley Songbirds and Sea # Singers or Wild Honey and Verdant Voices from Nowra are small groups of neighbourhood friends who are typically led by highly talented, passionate individuals with rich and varied backgrounds in musical performance and composition. This is also the case for groups such as Bel Cantare – an Indonesian choir (many of whom are university students) based in Sydney, the Burmese Community Choir, and the Wollongong Chinese Community Choir, for whom choir singing is not just a source of social connection but also cultural expression. For groups such as Raised Voices from Tomerong, Blokes Notes from Port Macquarie and Vivace Singers from Phillip Island, Victoria the choirs are important in identifying the social and cultural character of relatively small communities. But, these and other groups such as the Glorious MUDsingers and Food of Love, both from NSW’s south coast attract a solid following way beyond their communities in festivals elsewhere in Australia and overseas. Similarly, others such as the Wollongong Men’s Barbershop Chorus, Out of the Blue Singers and SingGongGo are part of broad choral networks or national and international associations. For some choirs, their particular purpose is to use singing as a medium for communicating important social or other messages. The Illawarra Union Singers fit this category as does Ecopella and A Chorus of Women from Canberra. For choirs such as the highly esteemed Waratah Girls’ Choir from Newcastle, which was founded in 1982, one of its aims is to develop strong character and leadership qualities in its young singers. But this is not an unusual part of the mix of objectives for many choirs. Personal development is an explicit aim of the extensive education programs run by the Sweet Adelines International of which Out of the Blue Singers is a member. Most of the choirs sing a cappella in three or four part harmony, or in the case of the six members of Wild Honey, five parts. For a few groups, such as Deep River Choir and Drum Ensemble, dance and drumming are an integral part of the performance. For the Swingaleles who will be one of the groups performing at North Beach on Saturday morning, singing is almost the accompaniment to the happy sounds of ukuleles.

There is no doubt that community choral singing is becoming an increasingly popular pursuit. Some are attracting considerable public acclaim but for some the accolades are more subtle and personal. Take for example the poem that a woman felt compelled to write after seeing the Wollongong Men’s Barbershop Chorus perform. You Raise Me Up With shoulders back and heads held high And a wonderful twinkle in each eye, So proud and happy are these men Who stand upon the stage to sing. Voices raised in such harmony, Which stirs up the emotion inside of me. Where have they been, what have they done, Have they worked the mines, or worked in the sun.

Surfed the seas, or surfed the net, A better mix, you’d never get, To raise their voices warm and clear, Working together, year upon year. So often when men find it’s time to retire, Some find it hard to fuel up the fire, To get on with life, and find things to inspire. Well you have the answer, you men on that stage, Life is for singing, no matter what age. Congratulations to all of you. Roma Bates, Austinmer, 2010.

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Choir notes

A Chorus of Women A Chorus of Women has brought a new voice to Australian choral music in the decade since 150 individual Canberra women revived the ancient democratic tradition of the citizens’ chorus by singing a lament in the foyer of Parliament House as Australia committed to war in Iraq. Since that national media event in March 2003, the Chorus has become a well-loved voice in the public life of our national capital –– their hometown. Through 150+ performances they have commented on issues and events in their original songs, music theatre productions, CD releases and the 10 Canberra Conversations they’ve led since 2009, which combine collaborative citizen dialogues with music and storytelling

about important matters of heart

and mind. Drawing from a repertoire of 75 songs written by the Chorus women, the group is calling

2013 -- Canberra

Centenary – the year of ‘Songs for our City’. The big gigs have included Open the Doors of the Chambers - their 10th anniversary concert in Parliament House in March, the third lantern-lit Anzac Eve Peace Vigil they’ve organised with other community groups in April, a concert in the National Library of Australia, and the opening of the 10-day Canberra International Music Festival with their ‘Acknowledgement of Country’, sung by a massed choir of 200 voices in May. They’ve also released a CD of three versions of the song I Am Ethos as a centennial anthem for the city. (And when you come to their chOirt-ly LOUD performances, they’ll tell you the wonderful story that goes with the song!) See http://www.chorusofwomen.org Johanna McBride,

Musical Director, A Chorus of Women

Johanna@incanberra.com.au 0402 050885

Alchemy a Cappella One of Sydney's hottest a cappella SATB choirs is ready to move you with their vocal interpretations. Alchemy a Cappella is a semi-professional group of talented and experienced singers with a zest for vocals. Alchemy repertoire includes featured soloists in songs like Midnight Train to Georgia and Hallejujah I Just Love Him So, inspiring & meaningful songs such as You've Got a Friend, Wonderful

World, and I Can See Clearly Now, and good old gospel songs such as Oh Happy Day and

Amazing Grace. Our favourite arrangers are Kirby Shaw, Deke Sharon from the USA and locals Ronelle Knowles and Stuart Davis. Creating music together for 10 years under the musical direction of Ronelle Knowles, Alchemy performs a variety of songs for many occasions... concerts, weddings, festivals, afternoon teas, Christmas parties. Tea & Tim Tams is one highlight of our rehearsals, while laughter and nurturing ensure our rehearsals are productive and fun. We rehearse on Thursday nights in Petersham and welcome temporary singers from overseas, prospective members and clients wishing to "try before you hire". Aqualuna … is a small community based a cappella choir that was formed in Lane Cove in 2006 by a few like-minded people. Over time the group has grown to number more than 30, from all ages and walks of life, with the common bond of just

loving to sing. We have

performed several small gigs over the years as a supporting choir to the Sydney Street Choir, the Sydney based choir for homeless people that was formed by Jonathan Welch, and from which the more famous Melbourne ‘choir of Hard Knocks’ was formed. These gigs have ranged from singing in a small community hall in Paddington, to a church in the Blue Mountains, to a large assembly hall in Crows Nest, and even one memorable event at The Basement. Our repertoire is not prescriptive and we enjoy trying all genres of music, including soul, Latin, blues and modern day pop. We are a non-profit based group, requiring no auditions, and we meet every Thursday at the Lane Cove Musical Society.

Bel Cantare We are a community choir and our choristers are mostly part of the Catholic Indonesian Community in Sydney. The choir chose its name in 2004 but already existed quite a number of years before that as a church choir. We aim to and have participated in festivals, community carols, charity events, eisteddfods, worked with other community choirs in joint performances, and will happily sing or at least make a

determined attempt at

singing different

repertoire of choral

music, from

sacred, pop, to

traditional.

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We participated in Sydney Eisteddfod in 2007-2009, and Canberra in 2011. We did our first concert ever in 2010, singing traditional songs from regions around the world. We then starting to get the opportunities to work with other communities such as the Sydney based Korean choirs, and we managed to appear in festivals as well as community carols. We were very proud and honoured to be able to perform a choral arrangement of Janger, a Balinese song depicting the Kecak dance, in Sydney Town Hall in March 2012 a cappella with dancers dancing to the song, which added an even greater value to the composition. We held our second concert in July 2012, and somehow as a result received an invitation to be part of a massed choir in New York, performing Christopher Tin's Grammy winning album Calling All Dawns in April 2013. We were also fortunate enough to be able to perform as opening act in the concert in The Concourse Chatswood for The Filipino Tenors who were touring Australia in June. We took out first prize in the multicultural section and were awarded a highly commended in the open section of the Canberra Eisteddfod in August this year. We are also very excited to be able to meet The Idea of North in November 2013. Berkeley Songbirds … is a community choir that sings for the joy of singing. There is no audition. There are no fees. There are no uniforms. It’s about getting out of the house, joining in, and

doing something for yourself. It’s about feeling good, trying something new, or getting back to something you love – and it’s about the music.

We sing in part harmony, and under the guidance of our inspirational Music Director, Sarah Lambert we are constantly developing and improving our vocal techniques, and have recently performed at the Blackheath Choir Festival and at the Illawarra Folk Club in conjunction with another feel-good local choir SingGongGo.

Blokes Notes This bunch has been creating a macho commotion since 2010, when they began meeting to have a sing & a beer in the Old Historic Court House of Port Macquarie.

Their quirky humour has evolved from their intent to express themselves in public spaces, be it food courts,

libraries, polling

booths (did you know singing too close is forbidden?), fashion parades, & unknown neighbours’ front lawns. They sing because they’re men. They sing because they want to. Women with walking frames have remarked that Blokes Notes a cappella style radiates nonchalant masculinity. The Burmese Community Choir … is a group of Karen people, all refugees attached to the Wollongong Baptist church who sing sacred songs in their native Karen language. Having escaped inter-racial conflict with the Burmese government military, followed by many years of uncertainty in refugee camps in Thailand, the choir provides these singers with a sense of belonging in their new Australian home while also adding to the multicultural richness of Wollongong.

Challis Singers … is a friendly, non-auditioned community choir located in Sydney's North Shore that started up in late 2012. Some of us have some previous experience with choral music, but for at least half the group this is their first time singing in a choir. We delight in the joy of singing and have very sociable, fun rehearsals. We enjoy a wide range of different styles of music, and prefer not to limit ourselves to any one style. Consequently, we’ve sung rock, pop, jazz, gospel, country, madrigals, motets, folk music, and contemporary classical music. We plan to produce two concerts a year and also take part in various choral festivals and community events throughout the year. We arrange some of our own music and have also

performed songs written by choristers. We like our concerts to be welcoming and friendly, and to that end we like to involve the audience (through the teaching of rounds etc). Our children are also quite keen to be involved, so the Challis Kids sang two songs in our first concert and will be back again next time, hopefully along with a larger group of children from local schools.

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Choir of Southern Lights

The Choir of Southern Lights is an advanced group of vocalists that have been through an auditioned

process at the Southern Lights

Vocal Academy, in Dapto Wollongong. The group performs both locally and interstate. This choir is an award winning group! Their most recent achievement was to win the show choir section at the John Lamble City of Sydney Eisteddfod. Deep River Choir +Drum Ensemble

… performs songs primarily from Africa which are full of rich harmonies and special stories. Our drummers and dancers display great energy and skill led by solo Djembe player, Rob Merigan. Let us take you on a unique musical journey that will leave you with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

Ecopella

… is an environmental choir that sings about the beauty of our world and the struggle to protect it from exploitation and destruction. Originating in Sydney in 1998, and now with branches in the Blue Mountains, Illawarra, Central Coast and Canberra, we have performed over 300 times. These have included performances at environmental events (In 2001 we opened the Global Greens Conference in Canberra – the first large-scale conference of activists from Greens parties around the world, and in 2006 we gave a series of concerts to raise money for Tasmania’s old-growth); protests; community gatherings; and folk festivals, which have served the environment movement by providing activists and audiences with the opportunity of enjoying a high standard of a cappella singing. Our most spectacular gig so far was being selected to participate in the closing event of the Woodford Festival in Queensland. Before a crowd of around 50,000 we performed alongside the 400 voice festival choir, led by our director

Miguel Heatwole, and also performed a piece by ourselves. We have produced two CDs; the first, whose title track An Organism Called Earth by Paul Spencer is one of six original works on the album and the second, Songs In The Key Of Green was released at our 10th anniversary celebration at the National Folk Festival in 2008. One might expect a choir that sings about the environment to be a gloomy ensemble, but Ecopella's sense of fun ensures an abundance of positive and satirical messages. When the

mood becomes serious the beauty and

solemnity of the music uplifts the listener. To a large extent the songs we sing have come from

ourselves or from our friends.

Paul Spencer, Christina Mimmocchi and our musical director, Miguel Heatwole, have all contributed pieces that have attracted public approval over many performances. Our close connections with the folk scene have brought us many more Australian songs (by writers like John Warner, Margaret Bradford, Peter Hicks, Fay White and Wendy Joseph), most of which were arranged by Ecopella and are flavoured with folk, jazz, pop, and Western classical influences. https://www.facebook.com/events/636394043043318/ Food of Love When Joy Sharpe formed Food of Love Community a Cappella Choir in 1998 her inspiration was to create a choir that welcomed anyone in the community who wanted to sing, regardless of experience. Today, the choir enjoys learning songs in a variety of styles including contemporary, gospel and folk, and performs at community events rather than concerts. Meeting at North Nowra they have performed throughout the Shoalhaven , most recently at "O Fortuna " combined choirs concert, Kangaroo Valley Folk Festival, the Relay for Life, Huskisson Volunteers concert, Meroogal Christmas Carols and Cambewarra Union Church Carols by Candlelight .

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The Glorious MUDsingers In 2006, we enticed Queensland singing teacher Brian Martin ('the Joy of Singing') to come and lead a world music workshop for 30 local would-be singers. Buoyed by that success, we followed up with an invitation to Australia's Gospel Guru, Tony Backhouse, who took 40 locals through an uplifting introduction to the African American gospel repertoire. We were hooked. But how could we carry on without Tony?! With the short straw in one hand and her trusty pitch pipe in the other, Tina Broad established the Glorious MUDSingers as a way of keeping the fledgling communal singing going. We've gone from strength to strength. Every performance has been a sell-out, including a black-tie gala launch of the choir's first CD at renowned South Coast venue, The Milton Theatre and performances at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. Many MUDSingers have had their first experience of public performance as part of the choir and singing together has reconnected - in some cases ignited - the musical lives of many of our members. Many of our - 'lapsed' players have dusted off their instruments and gone off to join the town band or drumming group. Music. Too much ain't nearly enough. Illawarra Union Singers

The Illawarra

Union Singers is a choir of trade

unionists, social

activists and people who like singing for the

pleasure of singing. Under the musical direction of Sarah Lambert, the choir enjoys singing songs of working people, struggle, peace and social justice. The group practises most Thursday nights at the Wollongong City Diggers Club, 82 Church Street, Wollongong. Practice starts between 6.00 PM and 6.30 PM and is informal.

Out of the Blue Singers

We are a women’s a cappella performance group that sings in four-part harmony. Based in Wollongong, we are women with interesting life experiences and backgrounds who enjoy entertaining audiences in a variety of venues and for a variety of reasons. We perform for community events, variety shows and fund raisers for local charities. Formed in 2001, Out Of The Blue Singers has won local and national medals for its special brand of entertainment.

Under the direction of Vonny Winning and Janette Green, the chorus sings a broad range of songs including contemporary, world music, folk, jazz and barbershop tunes.

Raised Voices … is a community choir that started in 1994 in the Shoalhaven area. We have sung at many events and festivals over the years. We are still going strong as an ever - changing group of people who love to get together and sing music from many styles and countries.

Sea # Singers You can tell by the place they practise that the Sea # Singers are devoted to song. From 2010 they have been meeting on Thursday nights … rain, hail or shine at

the Austinmer changing sheds. Yes they practise outdoors with a million dollar view of the beach! At times it’s a testing venue especially in winter but it’s the camaraderie and love of singing that keeps them coming back. The members give various reasons for their participation: an escape from the everyday pressures, better than meditation, an informal community and cheaper than therapy! They can best be described as a laid back collaborative a cappella group in tune with their beach culture. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnEmtazWbcI

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SingGongGo

SingGongGo have only been together for two years but sing

and enjoy each other's company as though they've known

each other forever. A true community choir that ebbs and

flows at around 35 people, with a wide range of skills and

backgrounds who sound gloriously as one, whether singing

cheeky pop songs,

gospel and

African songs

and our ever

broadening

selection of

songs from

other cultures.

We recently

performed at the

Bulli Heritage Hotel

with Café of the Gate of Salvation Choir from Sydney, joining

them for 3 wild and wonderful songs. We performed at the

Bulli Folk Festival this year and will be again next year. We are

part of the ever growing SIngUp phenomenon led by Stuart

Davis and wowed innocent bypassers in flash mobs at Sydney’s

Central Station (singing Leonard Cohen’s ‘Dance Me to the

End of Love’) and outside the MCA at Circular Quay (singing

Gotye’s ‘Somebody I used to Know’). Check them out on

youtube!

Swingaleles

We are a social group based in the Illawarra who meet regularly to learn and play the ukulele. We’ve been around about three years, having grown from a small group of members of the Illawarra Jazz Club to a large friendly bunch. We get together at the Fraternity Club, Fairy Meadow each Wednesday night from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.

Swing Out Mama

Swing Out Mama is a group of 15 women who cherish singing for the joy of it. Under the expert guidance of Rob Maxwell-Jones, the

choir is now in its 10th year. We sing an

eclectic international mix of a cappella music from traditional tunes to modern classics, coming from Africa, Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America and all over.

Singing for fun and friendship is what Swing out Mama does best; Wollongong will be treated to a rare public outing by this vibrant community choir.

Verdant Voices The members of this choir chose the name Verdant Voices

because it represents the fullness and richness that singing can give to people's lives. Led by

experienced local Choir

Leader Jenny Callanan, Verdant

Voices was established as a social engagement project for women living in the Nowra East and surrounding areas. Originally supported by IMB funding, the choir now has a small Clubs Grant from the Worrigee Ex Serviceman's and Sports Club. By coming together in song – simple folk tunes, chants and easy-to-sing melodies, 20 + women, some with complex social and health needs, socialise in a relaxed and non-competitive setting. As well as providing the women with great pleasure, participation in the choir connects them to health and wellness concepts, and a range of support services and resources.

Vivace Singers Formed in 2009, it is only because of the unexpected departure of their accompanist that the Vivace Singers, a mixed ensemble of 10 based in Phillip Island, decided in 2011 to become an a cappella ensemble. After the initial shock at the thought of walking the tight-rope without a safety net the group gave it a crack. While they enjoy contemporary songs, medieval and renaissance pieces including drinking songs, tales of infidelity, bawdy ditties, Christmas music, and pieces from Piaes Cantiones have really brought out the best from this group. They are currently working up arrangements based on the surviving 10 pieces from the Red Book of Monserrat (late 14th C), but the words for their oldest piece come from 537BC. As well as entertaining older folk, participating in Carols by the Bay and hosting fund raising concerts for flood relief after the QLD and VIC floods, and in support of the Alzheimer’s Association, they have performed in the Phillip Island MusicFest, hosted by the Phillip Island Winery, in 2012 and 2013 (see you there in 2014). At this event in 2012, they performed in their own right and also backed Golden Guitar nominee Tim O’Brien for the world premiere of his new song ‘The Signalman’. They then took Tim out of his comfort zone and had him join them for an a cappella version of Psalm 23. In the same year, they made international telly for all of 2 seconds when they sang the National Anthem at the start of the Australian round of the World Super Bikes in 2012!

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Waratah Girls Choir

It has often been said that Waratah Girls Choir is like a family – bringing young girls together to discover the joys of music, as well as developing strong character and leadership qualities, and most importantly, building friendships that will ultimately carry them through life. From humble beginnings, the choir has cemented itself as one of the most renowned choral groups Australia has to offer; all from hard work, dedication, discipline and a simple and common love of music. Founded in 1982 by former artistic director Wynette Horne, the Waratah Girls Choir still has the same core value at its heart over 25 years later: to sing to God, for God, and of God. Now under the inspired vision of Wynette’s daughter, Lindy Connett, there are exciting new challenges ahead: engaging performance programs; local, national and international touring opportunities; CD recordings; cultural exchange and much, much more. The choir provides amazing opportunities, both musically and on a personal level. To learn and be inspired by those around you in such an environment is something to be treasured, and to translate this love onto the world stage is one of life’s greatest honours. Wild Honey Formed about 18 months ago under the leadership of Pauline Latham, Wild Honey – a small group of five women and one man is embarking on what Pauline describes as ‘a huge musical adventure’. Previously members of another community choir in Nowra, Pauline, an alto/tenor and her two friends Julie, a true tenor and Bev, the second soprano in the group, were restless and looking for greater musical challenge and a lot less travel.

As their name Wild Honey suggests, they want their singing to be

adventurous and edgy. With this goal in mind, they

spent much time in the first year

gathering jazz standards (they love calypso and the intricacies of jazz) as well as some popular gospel songs that would enable them to sing in five-part harmony. Fun for them is moving through complex key changes and building textured layers into their sound.

After advertising for members, they were soon joined by Kathryn, a lilting soprano and Anna Joy – better known as AJ – a trained soprano and her dad John, also a trained singer who ranges anywhere from bass to tenor.

Wollongong Chinese Community Choir As part of the Chinese Australian Service Society, the Wollongong Chinese Community Choir is organised by Ms Cai Lan Wang and Ms Ocean Su. The choir started in 2003 and has about 25-28 members aged between 55 and 85. Most of them are migrants from Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The musical director of the choir is Mr Xin Min Zhang ( first

on hand side of second row in photo), a

former singer from China. Mr Zhang, 79 years old, is also a soloist of the choir. The choir sings mainly Chinese Folk songs about love,

beauty of the nature and friendship, also a

few of pop, Christmas and opera songs in Mandarin and/or in Cantonese. Singing for these choir members is a very natural social activity, being a part of what they do each Wednesday when as well as singing, they dance, tell stories, play cards and more. They also go out often to visit art galleries, attend concerts and eat in Chinese restaurants. Wollongong Men’s Barbershop Chorus

… is a group of a cappella singers that has been around for 16 years

entertaining nursing homes, and performing at

Christmas celebrations, and

community functions. Our organisational structure is supported by the Australian Association men’s Barbershop Singers Inc. We have a repertoire of pleasant and romantic songs taken from the 1950’s, a zesty song from les Miserables, a couple of American spirituals, and of course

some Australian war songs, and current favourites, and Christmas carols. Our musical director: Maureen Flower (Dip. Mus. Trinity College London) has been with us for 3 years, and is a professional music teacher running Maureen’s, School of Entertainment for over 40 years. We are running a 4 week free singing course in October for any man interested in giving it a go - no experience necessary. Like many community choirs, a bit of imagination and innovation is required to attract new members. Have a look at the missing tenor in the second photo.