What a big term we've had since our last newsletter. Did you know
we've reached 85 members?
That's a lot of you to herd! (But what a great herd!) Please read through what's next on the agenda
for Vocalize Choir!
A Very Big Sing!
Well done everyone on an amazing effort in May, performing on stage with the State Opera!
If you haven't already checked out the photos,
click here.
From Director Stuart Maunder
Thank you all for your incredible work to make the Big Sing Sorcerer such a success. Those massed voices with smiling faces, the sleeping volunteers, the roar of approval as the curtain rose on both Acts, the glorious principal company, the orchestra with its student interns, our technical team, and my wonderful colleague James Pratt, to all I shout a very heartfelt vote of thanks. And personally, as a G&S tragic, it was wonderful to see this gloriously creaky piece brought to life with such verve and delight. And the audience clearly had a great time, as well.
I am in awe of your commitment to the project and trust that we'll have another chance to collaborate.
Thank you, thank you.
Stuart
From Musical Director James Pratt
To all the big sing choristers, congratulations for a wonderful performance! You have all achieved something special and incredibly unique.
Being on stage behind a grand house curtain before the beginning of act 1 and act 2 is one of the most exciting things one can experience in a life time. Yesterday the sense of anticipation on both sides of the curtain was palpable. When the curtain rose, the audience applauded and you delivered with enthusiastic singing and great character. There is no Sorcerer without village people, and you all set the scene perfectly. Keep up your singing, love Gilbert and Sullivan and please continue to support the State Opera, they do great work!
Best wishes
James
And of course my personal photographic memento needs no explanation.
That One Time, At Choir Camp
There's been a great response to our choir camp regos, with 47 singers planning to attend. Wooo! Please ensure you've sorted out your accommodation!
CAMP SCHEDULE
All sessions at Victor Harbor Recreation Centre,
5 George Main Road Victor Harbor
Friday 28th July
7:30PM Registrations + Coffee
8 - 9:30PM Session 1
Saturday 29th July
8:30AM Coffee
9 - 11:30AM Session 2
Lunch Break
1 - 2:30PM Session 3
Break
2:45-4PM Session 4
6:30PM Group Dinner (opt-in) at the
Hotel Victor
Sunday 30th July
10:30AM Coffee
11AM-12:30PM Session 5
Pack up
Tickets now on sale!
Great to see there are over 50 tickets already sold for next month's Quiz Night! Please spread the word
and get a table together! We'd love to sell out this event! While we are performing some songs
throughout the night, we need
all singers to please buy a ticket and participate in the quiz,
as we don't have space for 60+ free seats and we really need the funds!
Click here for tickets and click here for a jpg flyer with a 'clickable link'.
In the coming weeks we'll be starting to organise raffle baskets in vocal sections. If you have any wonderful friends who own businesses and would consider supporting with a prize or voucher, please
hit them up with your most loving smile! Also if you have any great prizes you'd like to personally
donate that would be amazing too - bottles of wine / your least favourite child, etc.
"It's On the Website!"
*Now that I have your attention.. this is not our website, but some other Vocalize Choir in the UK. :)
I just want to make clear that
our new website has completely replace
d Muzodo, the third party site we were originally using for Gig RSVPS. This means
the website is our only source of Absolute Truth* (A.T.) regarding your availability and contact info. In other words, please make use of it and keep your info updated.
SECURITY
The site is now secure as we've paid for an SSL certificate. You'll notice the site now has a http
s
and a little padlock icon to ease your mind. So there's no need to remove any of your information -
I ask you to please leave your details on the site so we can easily get in touch with you or your
emergency contact if needed, as this is now our only database with this information.
WEBSITE TUTORIALS
The fabulous
Ros Leane has created some very handy tutorial videos, should you need a bit of
help navigating the website.
Click here to check them out. Thank you, Ros!
Combined concert - Your Availability Please!
Speaking of the website, we currently only have
38 / 85 RSVPs for the U4U concert on Sunday
22nd October. Could you please indicate your availability ASAP so we can sort out staging
requirements - because we're combining with another choir for this event, we need to ensure we
have enough room for everyone, and there's a big difference in staging between 30 singers and
65 singers!
To update your availability, go to the website > Members Only > Attendance - Performances and Events.
Bangers and Mash-Ups Update
ADELAIDE FRINGE - 2ND MARCH
Lock it in your calendars people, and tell all your friends to do the same - the Woodville Town Hall has
been booked for Saturday 2nd March! Block out the whole day because we'll be bumping in, rehearsing with Soul Song, and doing 2 shows! Gonna be a massive day!
QLD TRIP - 18TH-22ND APRIL
Thank you to those who completed the survey about the trip to Queensland, we had 55 responses.
If you'd like to look at the summary report,
click here.
Jacqueline from Soul Song has just got back from the Festival of Voices, and in the coming weeks
will be securing bookings for the Brisbane and Cairns concerts. So once those locations are booked,
I'll send out some more detailed information including flight times and suggested nearby accommodation (for those not keen to be billeted), and there will be a deadline for you to commit with a $100 deposit.
Can You Help?
Well I can give you one very good reason. With the move to Cooinda we've made a few adjustments to the sound to improve the 'bounce' and echo. However, we're wondering whether we could try rolling out a few large rugs to absorb some of the sound. If you have any rugs you're not using (eg in storage?), would you be happy to bring it along to a rehearsal? If it improves the sound we will ask the council if they'd mind us storing it with the chairs.
Newest Members
A big welcome aboard to our Term 2 newcomers, we hope you enjoy singing with us!
SOPRANOS
Mairi
Malena
Sandra
ALTOS
Anne
Carolyn
Catherine
Christine
Mary
Rosanne
TENORS
Cathryn
Robin
John
BASS
Samuel
Member Microphone - Getting to Know You
This is a great way to get to know some of our members a little better - if you'd like to be included in a
future newsletter please let me know.
T
oday we're interviewing Liz MacKenzie! Liz joined us in 2017
and is part of our Soprano section, as well as serving as our
choir Secretary!
1. Tell us about how you came about joining Vocalize?
Before I was married in 1987 I sang in the choruses of two musical societies, one in the UK and one in Sydney. Family and work life
took over but in 2017 after a couple of years of retirement I decided I wanted to sing again. Vocalize was in my neighbourhood and I found it to be welcoming, fun and challenging.
2. What was your earliest musical involvement
?
As a child I had plenty of opportunities to sing - at school, at church and most importantly at home where we would often sing together as a family. When I was 14 years old, our church Youth Club put on a production of Mary Poppins and I won the leading role. Yes that’s me in the photo!
3. What’s the first album you ever bought?
Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing it All Back Home’ in 1965.
4. Who is your favourite music group or artist?
It’s a tie between Joni Mitchell and Fairport Convention. And lots of runners-up!
5. What’s the best concert you’ve been to?
An all day concert in 1975 at Wembley Stadium where top of the bill Elton John was upstaged by the
Beach Boys who knew that most of the audience just wanted 60s nostalgia. When they played the
opening bars of ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’, 72,000 of us stood up and danced.
6. Do you have a favourite TV program or book?
I’m an ABC fan. I rarely watch commercial TV and have no streaming services. I was a devotee of The
Bill for 25 years. More recently I loved The Split starring my favourite actress Nicola Walker.
7. What’s your favourite food to eat or cook?
Eye fillet steak, cooked medium rare, preferably by an excellent chef (not me!)
8. Do you have any particular hobbies or play any sports?
Is travel a hobby? Ha ha! As for sport, the answer has always been ‘as little as possible’ but when the
SA Aquatic Centre opened in 2012 I discovered aqua aerobics and for over ten years now it has been
a source of both increased fitness and new friendships.
9. Do you have any pets?
Not now, but before and during my married life we had Burmese cats. My son and his family have one
so I still get my cuddle fix occasionally without the responsibility.
10. What’s a favourite choir song you’d like to rehash?
Iona but I would like to sing it with a male tenor solo. It evokes memories of wonderful choral music
from the choir at the church I attended in the UK in my teenage years.
11. Is there a song you’d like to suggest choir to try?
I have always loved musicals so any sort of medley from a well-known musical (preferably one from
my vintage) would be great.
That'll Do, Pig
That's enough for now - as always there's lots going on at Vocalize, and what a joy it is to sing together! Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Kerrie x
