Singing in Bali, October 2010
Thirty Australians came together in the beautiful Taksu Resort to learn new choir repertoire, relax, swim, and experience Balinese food, culture, hospitality and crazy taxi rides. Each day we sang looking out onto rice paddies where we got lots of laughs watching a big rooster rounding up his hens. Food was glorious and plenty of it. Highlight for most of us was our visit to two orphanages where the kids sang, danced and played gamelan for us. We sang some songs for them, and donated gifts and money toward the orphanages.
This was Shirley Jackson’s first singing event as an organiser and she did a really fabulous job.
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Big Sing in the Desert, July 2010
80 singers from all over Australia, including 28 indigenous singers from the Central Desert, came together at Ross River Resort. The idea for this weekend of song came from my work with the Central Desert Choirs in ‘Many Roads One voice’. There was a desire to follow up the project and have singers, black and white, spend more time singing together, learning repertoire and learning from each other. Morris Stuart from Asante Sana was my co – tutor and we have talked about the need to value the beautiful hymn singing and choirs from the Central desert. Many young people are not singing these days, and some of the elders had talked to us about helping the younger ones learn choir.
Singers from Titjikala community, the Areyonga gospel choir and the Salvation Army choir in Alice Springs attended. The Areyonga choir are young singers taking on the choir tradition in a new way, writing their own songs and hymns. Sandra Windi taught us Nyanpi Matilda (Waltzing Matilda in Pitjantjatjarra) which just might be the next big Aussie anthem!
The Salvation Army choir ladies sang some extremely beautiful hymns in the old Lutheran style of the Hermansberg Choir. They taught us hymns in Arrernte, Walpiri and English.
Thank you to the hundreds of generous donors from around Australia who contributed to helping us get the indigenous singers to this event.
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Roc in Fiji, June 2010
My choir Roc took a trip to Savu Savu to experience first hand the stunning choirs of the area and our beautiful host Fijian family at Daku.
As well as visting Vivili, Urata, and Yaroi villages, we visited Keni’s village for a lovo feast and ‘sing off ‘ with two of the local youth choirs. The sing off consisted of each choir singing one song each round, trying to up the ante each time. The youth choirs beat us on stamina I reckon!
Our choir kids had a ball snorkelling, swimming, and hanging around with Keni’s kids. They even went to school one morning.
Each time I visit I am humbled by the love we are given, the amazing voices of the Fijians and their willingness to share their culture and music with us. Thanks again Keni, Raj, Temu, Marionne, Demere and Joshika.
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'Many Roads One Voice' Alice Springs 2008
(Excerpt from the Koori Mail, Oct 2008)
‘CAAMA Music recently presented the production “Many Roads One Voice” for the Alice Desert Festival which was the signature event and the theme of the annual Central Australian arts and cultural festival for 2008.
The project, conceived by CAAMA Music Development Manager Patrick McCloskey, was especially produced to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians together to embrace diversity, unite cultures and celebrate Central Australia through song. The song material payed special tribute to the contribution that Indigenous people have made to Central Australia through choral arrangements of many of the classic songs recorded at the CAAMA studios over its 25 year history.
An audience of over 1000 people attended the concert and witnessed the unique project that brought together four of Australia’s leading vocal talents to work with 8 Central Australian choirs over 250 singers in total, over the course of one week.
The choirs included - the Alice Springs Choral Society, the Asante Sana Choir, the Titjikala Choir, the Areyonga Choir, the Yipirinya School, Yirara College, the Alice Springs Steiner School and the Living Waters Lutheran School - over 250 voices in all presenting a tapestry of songs that expressed the cultural diversity of the Central Australian community.
The vocalists included renowned Indigenous singer/songwriters Kutcha Edwards and Emma Donovan and ARIA award winning singer/songwriter Kavisha Mazzella, and Rachel Hore one of the most highly sought after community choir leaders in the country.
Rachel conducted the mass choir and created the arrangements for the two finale songs. She travelled out to Areyonga and Titjikala to teach the ladies there. The ladies in both communities are keen to develop their already strong vocal traditions. Rachel taught the Titjikala choir a Maori song, called Taku Mana, which means ”Hold on to your power” in honour of Linda, a Maori lady who has run their Women’s Centre for over ten years. Moments such as this touched many people in the audience. The Alice Desert Festival Program Co-ordinator Franca Barraclough claimed, “ It was the best event I have ever seen in Alice Springs”
In the tentative few months of a post apology Australia with the NT Intervention in the hands of the new government CAAMA Music has produced an event that demonstrates that Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can come together for a shared future.’
Bathurst Multicultural Choir and the Sounds Live Choir
It was great to visit Bathurst during 2010 and do several workshops with the Multicultural choir. Over 8 weeks they worked toward a performance for the Inland Sea of Sound Festival. Tracey Callinan took over from me after the initial workshops and led the group onward and upward! They sounded so beautiful on the day. Went back to Bathurst for 2 workshops for Sounds Live radio. A great turnout again, and the Sounds Live choir has stayed together for this year, under the direction of Tracey.
Music workshops out Bush
I have done a range of trips out bush in WA and NT over the past few years, helping to develop music skills for women. It was great to work with Beth Sometimes and travel for the first time to Ernabella Community. We worked on some really good new songs have later been developed into a CD of songs from the community. Big thanks to Caama also for the opportunity to visit Willowra community as part of the MAD for life project and the 'Many Roads one voice' Choir project . Thankyou to the Titjikala community for inviting me to spend time with the choir and work with Margaret Campbell on choir leadership.