AFTER 10 weeks rehearsing, seven Bendigo singers got their chance to sing on the Hamer Hall stage at the weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The singers were a part of the 300-person Boite Millenium Chorus for their annual performance.
This year’s performance – Windrush – had a distinctive Carribbean feel.
Windrush follows a complex story of migration from tropical islands and explores the loss of leaving home and the challenges of arriving in an unwelcoming new country.
Local singer Bryley Savage said the performance was an amazing experience.
“The choir is made up of people from all across the state,” she said.
“Places like Mallacoota, Ballarat, Geelong and Gippsland all joined together for a final rehearsal at St Paul’s Cathedral and a five-hour rehearsal at Hamer Hall on the Saturday.”
Singing in a group of 300 is a challenging experience but Ms Savage said the audience reaction was good.
“We were in our groups of bass, tenor, alto or soprano, so I was on the edge with the sopranos,” she said.
“The chorus has been going since 1999 and usually do different stories of migration.
“Windrush was about a boat that took a lot of Caribbean people to the UK.
“It was the artistic director’s story of his parents going to the UK, so the music went from a reggae feel to more of a ska sound.”
Ms Savage joined the Boite Millenium Chorus for the first time this year by registering on their website.
“There are lots of people who do it every year,” she said.
“I don’t know how the 70-year-olds do it, it is exhausting but I’d love to do it again.
“I’m so glad I did it. There’s not many times you get to hear a 300-voice choir like that. It was great music.”