New member's nightOn Wednesday 3 February, Brindabella Chorus is hosting a new member's night, where interested singers can come along and find out more about joining us! It's a great time to join. We've developed a five week program for new members, helping you to learn some of our repertoire and also develop some great singing skills quickly. How to be in it!
Bring with you:
Questions? Read our frequently asked questions below. If we haven't answered your questions, you can contact our musical director Glenda on 6292 5696 (leave a message if there's no answer!) or by emailing glenda@bigblue.net.au. FreqFrequently asked questionsClick the link or scroll down to see the answers to these questions! I've never sung in a choir before, can I join?You don't necessarily need to have any particular singing experience, but you do need to be able to hold your part and stay in tune. Our five week program will teach you a whole raft of singing skills to help you pass your audition. Is there an audition?Not on the first night! After you've been with us for five or six weeks, had a chance to learn the audition song and develop your skills, you'll record your audition. To reTo record your audition, the whole chorus will sing the audition song together, and you'll sing into a handheld recorder - either a cassette recorder or an mp3 recorder. If you don't have one, we can loan you one. You can't use sheet music for your audition, but we will make sure that at least one chorus member who sings your part is standing beside or behind you to help you keep on track. Glenda, our director, will listen to your audition during the following week and contact you with feedback. She'll be listening for correct notes and words with good tuning. Can I me="bring_a_friend">bring a friend?Yes! In fact we'd love you to. The more the merrier. If you don't bring a friend, don't worry - you'll probably make some new ones. If you enjoy the first night and want to bring a friend on the second night, that's great. They'll catch up quickly. Do I have to be able to read music?No! In addition to sheet music, every prospective member will be able to either download learning tracks from our website that can be played on a computer or mp3 player, or receive a learning CD. The learning tracks will help you learn the notes and words, and also the interpretation of the songs. We encourage all participants to listen to the learning tracks even if they are really good sight readers. Is there an age limit?Brindabella Chorus currently has members ranging in age from
17 to 70-something.
We have no maximum age limit for members.
Each rehearsal lasts for two and a half hours, and we usually stand for most of the rehearsal. Our performances involve choreography, stepping from side to side, turning and arm movements. We've found that people with an average level of physical fitness are able to cope just fine. Members with intermittent or temporary injuries will sometimes sit for part of a rehearsal or for a few rehearsals until they are well again Do I have to come to every rehearsal?We expect members to attend rehearsals as often as they can. We also expect that members will have other activities that take them away from chorus sometimes - family holidays, travelling with work, illness, other special events. We don't have a prescriptive number of rehearsals that you have to attend each year. However, if you miss too many rehearsals, it makes it hard for you to keep up with what the chorus is learning, and that also affects the learning of chorus members around you. What about performances?Brindabella Chorus performs around Canberra throughout the year. We perform at community events like Floriade and Groovin' in Garema, we usually compete in the National Eisteddfod and we do some carolling at Christmas time. We also compete in our national chorus competition every year or two, which is held in a different city in May each year. In 2010 it's being held in Perth, but we're not competing. However, we will be competing in Newcastle in 2011 and right here in Canberra in 2012. We encourage chorus members to attend performances as often as possible. As a new member, we expect that it will take a few months to learn the repertoire well enough to start to perform with us. Some learn faster, and some take longer - it's an individual thing. The chorus performs without sheet music, as it allows us to watch the director and also be more accessible to the audience. What does 'a cappella' mean?A cappella means 'unaccompanied'. We sing in four part harmony without any instruments playing. We use a 'pitchpipe' to play a note so that we all know where to start, and then we're on our own! Is there a costume?We have a few different costumes. Once you become a member, you'll receive a black Brindabella Chorus t-shirt for you to wear at some events. If you'd like additional t-shirts, you can buy them from the chorus for $12 each. When you're ready to perform, we'll organise costume for you. We currently have 'rainbow jackets' which you can see in the picture at the top of each page. We also have red costumes for Christmas, and we're currently working on a new costume which will be ready late in 2010 or early 2011. What songs does the chorus sing?The chorus sings popular music from 1900 till now, all in English, plus some Christmas carols and other holiday music during Christmas time. Other than Christmas, we don't sing any religious music although we have sung some mainstream gospel in the past, and we don't sing any politically motivated music either. We try to sing music that will appeal to a range of audiences. Songs currently in our repertoire include:
How much does it cost?To be eligible for membership of Brindabella Chorus, you must first attend five out of eight rehearsals. The first night is free, and then we ask you to pay $5 per night until you become a member. When you become a member, there is a one-off joining fee of around $170 (less for youth members under 25), which includes your membership to Sweet Adelines International (see below), a full set of our current sheet music, a t-shirt and name badge. This is the only time you pay this fee - it's not an annual fee. After that, there is a regular monthly fee of $35, payable at the beginning of each month. The monthly fee covers ongoing costs such as hall hire, sheet music, costume, coaching and other incidentals. It also covers your following year's membership to Sweet Adelines International. Fees are payable even if you're away for a few weeks, although chorus members taking an absence of 6 months or more may transfer to associate membership and pay a reduced fee. Sweet Adelines InternationalBrindabella Chorus is a chapter of Sweet Adelines International Inc (SAI) Sweet Adelines International
is a worldwide organisation committed to advancing the
musical art form of barbershop harmony, through education and performance.
SAI was formed in 1945, and its headquarters are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
SAI has around 27,000 members in countries around the world. In Australia,
there are just over 1,300 women singing in 30 choruses and many quartets spread around the country. SAI is not a religious or political organisation. |
