Updates

Hi friends

1. Congratulations to Amanda and Elena who successfully passed their auditions last week!

2. Fremantle Songfest

Matt has sent through some more information. I will email around the programme but it is not populated with performance times yet. It looks like we will be singing a couple of songs on the Friday night and Saturday night so I will ask for a show of hands for availability at choir on Thursday - no pressure, I understand it might be difficult for some to get there. The way I see it, the main ones are our 25-minute set on Saturday afternoon and the two songs on Sunday morning.

If you are attending, please pay $40 into the TRS account as soon as possible. We need to pay the registration fees by the end of the month. If you are currently a maybe, I will need you to confirm yes or no within the next couple of weeks.

Friday 17 May, 7:30pm

Welcome to Fremantle

Each group is introduced and sings two songs

Supper provided, free for registered performers

Bar open

Saturday 18 May

10am Voicemale director Digby Hill and Perth Irish Choir director Raelene Bruinsma will lead a workshop to learn a new song they have jointly arranged that we can all sing together.

12 midday Lunch provided by co-hosts Voicemale – free for registered performers.  Guests $15

1:30pm – 5:15pm concerts held in hall and church.  Each group performs for 25 minutes

6pm onwards    Dinner at Clancy’s Pub, Fremantle (buy your own) followed by a group singalong.  Each group to bring 2 songs that are generally well known for everyone to join in.

Sunday 19 May

Concert in hall and church from 10am.  Each group to sing two “spiritual or beautiful” songs

Brunch provided by co-hosts Glyde Ins.  Free for registered performers, guests $10

Mass singalong

Festival finishes approx. 1pm

Country choirs leave on 2:10pm train

Registration fees are $40 pp and includes Friday supper, Saturday lunch and Sunday brunch, all performances and workshops.  Director free.

Partner passes are available for $50 (access to all events and meals).

Visitor individual concert entry $10 (excludes meals)

Two Up Two Down Choir from Kalgoorlie and A Choired Taste from Merredin have confirmed attendance.  They will tell us about SongFest events they are running.

3. Current working list of songs

I will shortly email around a current working list of songs for upcoming gigs (mainly Fremantle). You can reasonably expect that these are the songs we will work on at rehearsals each week and be getting to a performance standard, which may mean you want to practice these during the week. It is subject to change and I will send it around again as Coralie makes decisions about things.

4. Music

A reminder that we are now at the point where we shouldn't have music in hand for Autumn Leaves and Make Your Own Kind of Music (and probably the Nearness of You too). I don't want to gripe, but Coralie sets deadlines for these things for a reason and it is important that we respect her planning. If you don't know it well enough, that means you need to practice more during the week with the recordings or organise extra sessions within your section. Of course there is nothing wrong with clarifying notes and asking questions during rehearsals if you have put in the effort to learn something and you are still unsure.

5. On Thursday we worked on The Nearness of You (everyone – not as a small group) and When the Earth Stands Still.

We also sang:

Fix You

White Winter Hymnal

Lonesome Loser

Fields of Gold and

Helplessly Hoping.

Please listen to your parts for When the Earth Stands Still for next Thursday.

Lorna, we are all sending our love to you.

See you all on Thursday!

Cathryn