A touch of Sweden .....

 

Tonight we had a whole dose of Sweden with Viveka Boettge from Stockholm City Voices Chorus.
What a dynamic lady and a great coach - pity she lives so far away!
We learnt all about Sylvester the Cat - 'Thufferin' thuckatash!' - does this really increase resonance?
SURE it does - as well as building stronger abdominal and muscles of the lower back! Ase told me to feel the breathing from my lower back - now to add this to the concept. I am yet to admire the look - what do you think?



This is something I will have to practice but I'm not sure if it will be in front of the mirror! But then again I am told that both Sylvester AND the mirror are my friend. I guess it goes hand in hand with the whole concept of not being just 'me' but being part of a 'unit' and doing my best to achieve my best. I have to keep my "committee" under control - maybe that was my problem when I was a 'Boardie'? Hmmmmm
I certainly had fun and enjoyed trying the different slant that Viveka put to the 'up' tune. Sure makes it more interesting and maintains the energy. No more chorry changes though Jill!!!


Here we are - looks like we are having fun eh?
A great time was had by all and I'm sure we all learnt heaps, where did the time go? Now to do Jan's trick and 'PRESS SAVE'.

Day 2 and photo pose .....

 

Day two of our workshop was as full on as the first.
We spent time going over the new choreo for our 'up' tune and it's lookin' good!
Now to hammer it into our brains and muscle memory.
Well done to Jill and her 'back beat' helpers for all the work they have done to get it all together.
The music is also coming together and we have to all remember to sing relentlessly at all times.
Here's a 'freeze frame' of a possible photo pose. Thanks to Bethany and Jan for these photo's - I can't believe that I forgot my camera today. Must have been my eagerness to get there on time this morning! Nothing to do with any 'senior moment' - nah!.
We spent time after lunch with Virg explaining the SA judging categories and then sang in smaller groups with particular emphasis on showmanship.

Another great coaching weekend which wouldn't have been as successful without the hours of work put in by Jan as our Director and other members of the Team working together to ensure it all ran smoothly.
Good luck to Virg and Christchurch Chorus as they prepare and head out to NY in a couple of weeks to sing at the great Carnegie Hall - what an experience.

What a way to finish off a HOT day!

 

After a hot day working hard on our comp songs, what a better way to 'chill out' than a dip at nearby Towradgi Beach!
We'll be back to it 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' tomorrow morning ready to work on perfecting our technique.
I'll sleep tonight thinking about 'eyes and thighs' .............. oh well

Where are the basses?

 

The Chorus is having a coaching weekend with Virginia from NZ and everyone is working hard.
Virg is giving the leads a good work out and the bari's are outside with Karen and Jan ... matching voices. Lyn has the tenors working around the other side of the building - BUT, where are the basses? Hiding away where nobody sees?.............. Nah - It was our turn to have a rest as you can see - Ali is up to no good but a good way to cool down in our heatwave conditions. We ALL worked really hard as we aim for OVER 600 in Hobart.

Significant birthday for Pat!

 

 

Here is Pat blowing out her candles.
The cup cake creation as made by Jann McNeill and we all sang happy birthday to Pat in harmony of course!
There were eighty cup cakes but Jann assured us that that was just so that there were enough to go around and not necessarily the number of Pat's years!
They were yummy too.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT!

Our New Venue ....

We were invited to sing at a Christmas party at our new rehearsal venue - the George Cross Maltese Falcon Club. This was the first time most of us had seen our new rehearsal place. They were a lively audience and appreciated our performance - even though the ladies all liked to chat. LOL.
I think it will be a good liaison

Strutting Our Stuff ....

 
Here we all are singing up a storm.
Maybe we should recruit these transient visitors to become members
of the Chorus?

Congratulations Cobie and Joseph

 
Wishing them health and happiness
in their lives together
Here they are
Mr and Mrs Harradine

A Very Special Sing Out

 

On Saturday 24th of January, under the trees at Jamberoo Valley Lodge, members of Wollongong Harmony Chorus were priviledged to be able to sing at the wedding of one of our special members.
Cobie was the 'baby' on the risers until recently and we have watched her as she has developed into a beautiful young lady and a confident member of the front row.

All aboard that train ....

Our Family and Friends Concert for 2008 was our last performance at PKRSL.
We all hopped on that train and sang up a storm.
We all had fun including the audience - kids included.
Grandson Harry enjoyed seeing Mardie on stage!

 

He also had a ball on the dance floor.

The importance of FACES .....

Aren't faces important?
Jan and Jill tell us EVERY week - 'we need more faces!'
I just love the smiling faces that I see each week at Chorus.
Well sometimes they are not all smiling but hey life happens and for the main there are always LOTS of smiles!
I like putting them all together in a collage so here are a few of them.
Firstly here are some faces from our concert 'Christmas Dreaming' 2006.
Some of these girls have moved on now - it's nice to remember their faces.

Then 12 months along are Faces of the 2007 Christmas Concert - can you guess the theme?

There was great excitement last year when four of our number joined up with Virginia's Christchurch Chorus to sing with them at International Convention in Calgary. Here they are in one of my slouch hats - a true Aussie icon.
L-R Betty our Bass section leader, Ilona - another bass, Frances who sings lead and Jill our choreographer - we won't hold it against her that she sings baritone!
What a great experience this was for them.

Being part of the Chorus gives me a group of very special friends and who more appropriate to share my 60th birthday celebrations?
As you can see from the photo, I have another obsession - HATS.

The last lot of faces for this posting is from our Retreat last year with the lovely Rathane campsite as the background. It's a beautiful peaceful place. Not so peaceful on Saturday night as the place reverberated to the soundtrack from the Rocky Horror Show and we danced to the 'Time Warp'!

We say goodbye to the Board of WHC and to PKRSL.....

 

Well, it's the end of an era in our Chorus history.
The Board has been superceded by the Management Team - onward to the future.
And, the Chorus leaves PKRSL as a rehearsal space and moves to Cringila and the George Cross Maltese Falcon Club.
We are still waiting for the Ode at 9pm but it's great to have a 'cuppa' and a socialise after rehearsal.

Getting ready, performing and then a drink afterwards....

 

It is an exciting time, getting ready to perform at Convention in front of your peers.
All the preparation for just those few minutes 'on stage' - as everyone tries their best. Our quartet 'Jan and Tonic' with their trophies for Most Improved Quartet in Brisbane 2006.
It's also good to relax afterwards with a glass or two (well we basses do anyway!)and relive the experience.

Friendship for Life

The Chorus has rehearsal every Wednesday night and for a number of years, this was held at the Port Kembla RSL Club.
Each year prior to ANZAC Day the Turkish community have a celebration called 'Friendship for Life' to remember those who died on both sides of the Gallipoli conflict of WW1. The Chorus was asked to join in this celebration and we learnt the Turkish National Anthem in Turkish to lead the singing at the service. It was a challenge but it was also special to be involved in this significant ceremony.

More 'sing outs'

 

Don't we look as though we are having fun?
At a concert in the town hall in Wollongong - doing our '60's' songs, at the Illawarra Folk festival, at Warrawong Shopping Centre and at the local at Bunnings.

Retreats and 'all that jazz' ....

 

Every year we have a special coaching weekend away from home to spend some time together as a group and to do even more singing!
As well as the serious stuff though, we have a concert and a bit of fun and let our hair down - sometimes literally eh Natalie? We usually have a theme and here are Jan and Karen being 'Green'.
We have had a couple of weekends at Fitzroy Falls out of Robertson for the 'Follies' and the last two years, we have travelled up to Rathane in the Royal National Park at Port Hacking. It's a lovely spot and a great time is had by all. Virginia joins us from NZ (she makes a good 'Fried Egg'but that's another story) and we can usually fit in some serious singing too.

Christmas carols ....

 

We entertain at various venues such as Nursing Homes and shopping malls around the Illawarra at Christmas time.
I love carols and that's when I first saw the Chorus and thought that I would like to join - way back when.
At Christmas we wear a black t-shirt with a sparkley Christmas tree.
I have had so many people come up and ask me where they could get one!
Here we are - at Warrawaong, at Howard Court, at Dapto Mall and as part of the Christmas Concert at WIN stadium in 2006.

Performance

 

We love to perform.
Some of these photo's were taken at performances leading up to Convention which are a great way for us to practice our competition songs. We usually have an annual concert with the Sydney Mens Choir and also one for our 'Family and Friends leading up to Christmas. This year we will be performing with the Lamplighters who are a Mens Choir based in the Wollongong area. As you can see we have a varied array of costumes from the traditional Aussie look with jeans and vests for our Australian package and then the more formal glitzy competition attire with lots sequins and sparkles. Our regular costume for local 'sing outs' is our gold polo shirt and black pants. The pink scarves were worn when the Chorus sang at a local function for Breast Cancer at WIN stadium.

Here's Virg..........

 

Here's a few faces of Virginia...........
Always with a smile of encouragement as she is coaching or in fun as she joins in with night time antics.

Visiting Coach's

 

A big part of Sweet Adelines is education so we have regular coaching sessions at WHC and here is a collage of some of our visiting coach's.
The first coach I remember as a new member of the chorus was Jim Arns.
He was a vital little guy from the US and certainly kept us on our toes for this session at Ribbonwood Centre in Dapto. I remember him describing how the members of his Chorus were so keen that they walked part of the way to Convention to get fit. He was also the first person I heard described the shape of vowels. The 'O' vowel being tall and not a sideways 'Oooo' like you do for 'road kill' I certainly wondered what I was letting myself in for!
Eddy Martinez was good fun and a great teacher too - I made him a bow tie which he wore with his t-shirt!
Cathy Rainey who was Director of the fabulous Perth Chorus for 20 years or so also comes over to give us some tips and hone our skills. We all enjoy our sessions with Cathy.
A very enthusiastic and skilled Sweet Adelaine from Sweden is Ase Hagerman. Ase taught us some great moves in warm ups and was very thorough in working with each individual chorus member. From these sessions, she gave us all at least one area to work on to become better singers. I have to concentrate on where I take my breathe - through to my back - she is demonstrating that to me in the photo!
I have left Virginia Humphrey-Taylor until last. Virg is our regular coach who comes to us from Christchurch in NZ where she directs the Christchurch Chorus. She is an inspiration to us all and a great teacher. As well as coaching the Chorus as a whole and our quartets, she also coaches the Musical Director. Our current Director Jan McCarthy is hoping that we will make her a master Director by scoring over 600 points in Hobart. We'll be trying Jan!