Hello Friends! Can you believe it’s May already in 2022? Time flies when you are having fun. We were having loads of fun during the January production of The Little Mermaid. After the first week, it got a little less fun. Our fantastic show was postponed until August. The great news is that the majority of the ticket holders kept their tickets for the re-mount. And, how often do you get to “tweak” set, costumes etc., for the same show… nice. Brady Cronin cannot reprise his role as Prince Eric, but fortunately, we have the ever talented Sam Stewart taking on the challenge. Our incredible vocal director Claire Davies will be stepping in as a Mersister for Kieri Darrigan while she attends her sister’s wedding. We’ll miss you and your Mum for a second “dive".
How good was Trivia night? Well done to Ryan, Nicole, Michael, Sandy and Claire for a fun evening. My team somehow came from 5th place to finish 3rd. Not a bad effort since the young ladies and gents at our table kept the bar staff pretty busy throughout. The AGM was very well attended. We made some special presentations, said goodbye to a few long-standing committee members and gained some fresh faces.
Finally, there was Eisteddfod. I was taking my girls to see Frozen in Brisbane (which was epic, by the way), but here at home, the Choir were in red alert damage control… Somehow, under grim circumstances, the members remaining pulled off some remarkable results. Well done; I marvel at the commitment and energy. That reminds me, our friend Covid is not going away. Eat well, do some exercise and get lots of sleep. I wrote to the WHO and suggested that we invite the whole planet to lockdown for two weeks beginning December 1. Plenty of time to prepare and stock up. We can then get rid of nasty germs. I’ve not heard back.
Take care, everyone,
Andrew Higgins
AGM Update
On 27th March, we held our Annual General Meeting. It was a very eventful afternoon full of recognition and reflection. President Andrew Higgins provided a fun-filled account of the previous year's events and thanked those who work tirelessly to ensure our society is successful in its purpose.
Special thanks went out to Kym Wilson and Tim Honeyball for ten years on the committee, both now taking a well-earnt rest. Our 2021 outgoing committee members Lindsay Singham and Keiri Darrigan were also recognised.
Milestone years of service badges were presented to;
Tim Honeyball - 20 years
Rod Wilson - 40 years
Badges to be presented at a later time:
Leone Batt - 20 Years
Kaye Hinds- 50 years
Congratulations to our 2022 / 2023 committee as set out below;
President: Mr Andrew Higgins Senior Vice President: Mr John Grantham Secretary: Mrs Jodie BellTreasurer: Mr Brett Greenland AM Committee Members: Nicole Ireland, Deb Kelso, Ryan Mills, Samuel Stewart, Claire Davies, Sandra Neal, Renee Wagner, Elleigh Weston, Adrian Corbett
Musical Director: Ms Rachel Cairns Deputy Musical Director: Ms Claire Davies Artistic Director: Ms Sandra Neal Musical Directors - ChoralAires: Mrs Kym Wilson, Mrs Kaye Hinds
The Ultimate Music Trivia Night
Our Trivia Night was a great success! Raising over $2,000, more than enough to cover our competitor's tickets for our whole choir for the Eisteddfod. Thanks to the 110 supporters of the night, we hope you enjoyed yourselves!
Thank you to quiz masters Ryan, Nic and Michael, and our fantastic sponsors: BCC Cinemas, Mad Cow, Hogs Breath Cafe, Narellan Pools, Tide Cafe, Annee's Caphe Sua Da, Nicole Ireland, Sandra Neal, Ryan Mills, Jan Andrews, Cassandra Herman.
Choir Update
North Queensland Eisteddfod. It is so hard to put on any Arts event at the moment, but after two missed Eisteddfods, it was a joy to be back on stage and to be able to perform alongside Cairns Choral Society, Home Hill Choral Society, and Voices of the North.
We are so thankful to our local Eisteddfod committee and volunteers, who put in hours of work to make it a reality. Thank you to the team behind the choir - our conductor, Rachel, who we deeply missed over the weekend but whose preparation allowed us to perform so well; our accompanist Jeanine, who played all weekend beautifully and always gave endless support; Sandy, our choir production manager who keeps us scheduled and in-line, and Claire, our deputy music director who had the significant role of stepping into conducting our choir over the weekend but did so with aplomb. Congratulations to our special award winners - Brandon Lindsay (Most Pleasing Young Male Voice), Neil Ivett (The Joy of Performing Award), Josie Power, Kieri Darrigan & Claire Davies (Most Outstanding Item of the Eisteddfod), Jeanine Tegg (Most Proficient Accompanist) and Claire Davies (Most Proficient Conductor). And finally, thank you to our choristers - both those that made it onto the stands, and those that prepared but spent the weekend in isolation. Every single person was so valuable on this journey. We can’t wait for next year!
ANZAC Day
It was an honour for the choir to be asked to sing at this year's ANZAC dawn service. COVID restrictions meant we couldn't have our whole choir present; those that were able to sing did a fantastic job, receiving feedback from the local RSL branch that we were an integral part of the day, and they hope to call upon our assistance in the future.
What's next? The choir has resumed its usual Tuesday night rehearsals in preparation for our mid-year concert. The concert will be a fantastic afternoon of musical theatre repertoire, with mixed groups, solos and full choir numbers that will keep you entertained. The concert will be held at the hall Sunday 19th of June, 3pm - $10 entry. There is still time to join us at 7 pm, Tuesdays at the Hall.
Choral Aires Update
The Choral Aires is currently in rehearsal for their next concert, Decades of Musicals - featuring songs from TCS musicals performed each decade since the 50s. It's not too late to join in, and new members are always welcome to join us Mondays from 9:30 to 11:30 in the hall. Keep watching our socials and newsletters for exact dates for the concert.
The Little Mermaid comes back with a splash!
After a week of 'finntastic' performances (and a few health issues). We are proud to bring the Little Mermaid back to the stage with almost all of our original cast on the Townsville Civic Theatre stage from August 24th- 28th.
Rehearsals will begin in the coming months to fine-tune our fantastic production with a few new tricks and fresh cast members to help tell this classic story.
Tickets are available here.
Time to Get Wild for our Jnr Production!
We are super excited to announce a new junior production coming soon to the Townsville stage. This production will provide an opportunity for our younger members between 5-16 years of age to hit the stage. With a super talented (and enthusiastic) production team on board, we know this one will be an incredible experience for those involved and those who get the chance to see it.
Audition information and materials will be shared on our social media and website in the coming weeks. Keep an eye for your change to move it!
GETTING TO KNOW ALL BOUT YOU!
In this newsletter, we get to know one of our newest committee members (long time performer!) Renee Wagner.
Introduce yourself in 4 words? Happy, compassionate, introverted, Soprano.
When did you start liking the performing arts? Singing in Choir at primary school was my first introduction, however, the bug really hit me when I was cast in my first high school production as Prue in Wolfstock. I still can’t get the words Howling out of my head.
How did you discover the Choral Society, and what was your first memory of the organisation?. I had seen productions of the Choral Society so when I moved to Townsville I auditioned for Mary Poppins. My first memory is of Brian Pease and how welcoming and kind he was, I knew from then I wanted to be a society member.
What’s something about you we would never guess? I never tried pizza until I was in my 20’s
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen? Ask me again once I’ve been to Germany in October….
Favourite musical song to sing in the shower? The Wizard and I…. I know, I know another Wicked fan how generic
Key Dates
Choir Mid-year Concert (Musicals) - Sunday 19th June 3 pm Choral Society Hall $10 Entries
The Little Mermaid Townsville Little - 24th- 28th August Tickets here.
October - Jnr Musical Performances