Brisbane Chorale is seeking new members in all voice parts (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) for its 2021 season and according to Music Director Emily Cox AM, it promises to be a memorable one.
“We’ll be performing a wonderful range of music in 2021, starting with Karl Jenkins’ well-known The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” she says. “Some other highlights include The Bells by Russian master Sergei Rachmaninoff in May and a joint performance of the Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) at QPAC in August with the Queensland Choir and the Queensland Youth Symphony Orchestra. There will be more to be announced at a later date.”
Whilst COVID-19 curtailed the plans of most choirs in Brisbane in 2020, against the odds Brisbane Chorale was able to bring music to its audiences in two very well-received performances of the Brahms Requiem in November 2020. Emily believes this may be an advantage for the Chorale moving forward.
“We learned so much about rehearsing and performing in light of the pandemic, and feel we are set up to make things possible, comfortable and safe as possible. Our members talk about the enormous mental and physical health benefits of choral singing, which is a big motivation to make these projects happen.”
So what should a prospective new member of Chorale expect if they decide to try it out? Says Emily, “The first thing is that we encourage new members to come along and sit in on one or two rehearsals.
“This way they can get an idea of the rehearsal process, how I work, meet other choir members and hear the type of music we’re working on.”
The next step for new members would be an audition and Emily acknowledges these can be a stressful or even scary process, especially to less experienced singers.
“Our auditions are a very relaxed experience. I do some vocal exercises with the candidate and check their musicality and we chat about past experience in choirs (useful to have in joining Chorale but not essential). Membership is open to singers who have good intonation, nicely produced, pleasant tone quality, and who display good musicianship. If sight-reading isn’t your strength, but you have other strengths like tone, please consider trying out a rehearsal, or alternatively talking to our friendly auditions coordinator Virna who can be contacted at audition@brisbanechorale.org.au.
Emily believes the choir has thrived since its beginnings in 1983 at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music under the directorship of Dr Roy Wales, in no small part due to the dedication and commitment to excellence of its members. “I’d like to think that in Chorale we have the best of both worlds.
“We have a great bunch of people in Chorale who enjoy singing and socialising, but we are also highly committed to working hard to achieve excellent results. We care about the music and performing it to the best of our ability. Being able to work with great orchestras, conductors, and professional soloists, performing timeless, beautiful works for an audience is a pleasure and a privilege, not to mention a thrilling experience.”
If you’d like to know more, please contact our auditions coodinator Virna at audition@brisbanechorale.org.au for an informal chat and to make arrangements to attend a rehearsal!
