MIV2018 Festival Wrap-up

Hi all. It’s been a couple of weeks…but very good ones.

MIV2018 was a blast. So much fun. I challenged myself in a few ways,  participating in different social events in ways I hadn’t done during my last IV. Here’s an idea: participation pays off. I had a really good time and even won a few times at different social things – which I was not expecting. Participation would have been prize enough. Enthusiasm leads to fun!

I’m not going to lie, it was full-on. IVs always are, especially the first half. Rehearsals for six hours a day, then social events in the evenings. This time, being Social Secretary, a part of me was always busy – mentally or physically – making sure things were running smoothly. By the end of the day, I was quite tired and rather “peopled out” – unusual for me!

I loved organising the social events though. I really like being (one of) the host(s) and seeing people having fun, making new friends and participating – like I said above, it all pays off.

The rehearsals were really good – we had a really good conductor who engaged us well. Patrick Burns got us – or at least me – thinking about the music in particular ways and working together to produce the desired quality sound. We had sectionals where our assistant conductor Leonard Weiss worked with Pat and us in two halves – sopranos and altos in one group, tenors and basses in the other.

One thing I love about rehearsing and performing in big choral groups is the journey from a diverse group of voices just starting to learn the music, to a cohesive group who’ve learnt their parts and sound confident and powerful. It’s bloody fantastic and with IVs, the process only takes ten days! I remember the first time we started feeling really cohesive (for me) – I was singing along as we ran through a piece. I heard the rest of us singing and realised, “This is going to be a great performance.”

I was right. 🙂

We sang really well, if I do say so myself. We heard great audience feedback afterwards too. It was a real treat to sing the pieces – I don’t know if I can pick a favourite, but all have taken turns popping up in my head since.

Thanks, MIV2018.

At the Aquademic Dinner…. every bit as good as I hoped.

Was this during my Toast? Or when I retold the punchline of my joke? Hmmm.

When you’re trying to take a photo and someone takes a photo of you….

Womble and ukulele/guitar (idk which!)….

Delicious main meal at Aquademic Dinner….

Womble rehearsing….and keeping away thirst.

Womble investigates the pool.

Card games on a free camp evening.

Womble checks out the rehearsal piano…

Aaaalll the colours! The purply-white one is a unicorn fish or rhino fish, something like that. All so pretty!

Entree at Aquademic Dinner….

A quick snap before we go on-stage…

Womble with music score and songbook.

Shadowy fish….

Relaxing on the free camp evening.

Dance o’clock… Nifty decoration hanging in the hall.

That’s one big crocodile…

We brought these decorations in. I like them.

Signatures from most if not all MIV registrants.

Womble tries out the conductor’s chair…

Opening Night.

A well-earned drink at the post-concert party. 😉

….and the drums.

Womble at MIV.

Colourful coral in the fish tank

Dessert at Aquademic Dinner….

(Click on the pic for a caption – they’re not in date order, just for fun.)

MIV2018 Festival Opens Today!

After many months of prep, today is the day! Hooray!

If you’re coming, I’ll see you at camp dinner this evening. If not, maybe I’ll see you at the concert? 😛

I can’t wait to see all my friends and have a fantastic time.

Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/light-the-dark-tickets-39366091038?aff=es2

See the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/305903166591081/

And doesn’t our concert flyer look amazing?

(Link to a shareable version here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwdTWPS792Wnajl5a2w1anlxUzBQTm5OOVpvV0NCTnVvRU9F/view )

If you can’t make it or even if you can, please share these links and the flyer around. The concert is going to be really good, I can feel it, and I want everyone else to hear about that. 😉

MIV2018 Update – Six Days Until We Open the Festival!

Can you believe it?

In six days at time of publishing, the Melbourne Intervarsity Choral Festival 2018 opens. There’s such a lot planned. Rehearsals during the day, social events most nights. I’m excited and have been putting in place the finishing touches for my portfolio: I’m Social Secretary so I’m n charge of the fun.

Over 100 people are going to converge on our venues for the festival. As I was writing this post yesterday evening, I realised that it was pretty much a week to the hour until my first event starts. Eep! 😀

It’s not all just games, traditions and fun. Over ten days we’re learning several pieces to then perform on Saturday 20th January at 19:30. Get your tickets now!! I’d love to see as many of my Melbournian (is that word supposed to have no ‘o’?) and Victorian friends as possible at the concert. It is going to be bloody amazing I can already feel it.

Bring it on! 😀

Here’s the ticketing link with some information: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/light-the-dark-tickets-39366091038

“MIV 2018 is proud to present Light the Dark, a moving musical programme offering hope in a time of global turmoil and upheaval.

The concert features Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Parry’s I Was Glad and the jewel in the crown, Elgar’s Light of Life. Conducted by Patrick Burns, featuring reknowned soloists Liane Keegan, Andrew Goodwin, Anna-Louise Cole, Raphael Wong and accompanied by the Melbourne Opera Orchestra, this concert will be a once-in-a-lifetime performance, and we hope that you will join us as we make history in the glorious Melbourne Town Hall.”

Would you do me a massive favour, especially if you’re reading this from a Melbourne or Victorian address (and/or through my Facebook) and “share the Dickens” (as one of my friends, a co-convenor, put it) out of this link? Even if you can’t go, pass the information along in case someone else in your circle might want to. Thanks heaps! I hope to see you at the concert – or at MIV, if you’re an IVer reading this.

*makes excited noise*

 

P.S. Take care of yourselves weather-wise! In Victoria, the next couple of days are scorchers, with more to follow later in the week (I’m very glad of aircon with MIV!). Meanwhile, in the US there’s a hell of a snow event happening atm, I gather. So yeah. Stay safe!

2017 Soundtrack

It’s that time of year again, where I compile a list of songs that mattered to me this year.

1. Think of Meryl Streep (from FAME!) – due to a powerful political moment by Meryl Streep at the start of the year that I blogged about then.

2. Bread and Roses (and maybe also Power in a Union). First one is a folk song, the second is by Billy Bragg. They reference the Women’s March and surrounding politics.

The next are a bunch of love songs that speak to me. I first listened to them on Triple J and they remind me of feelings I felt then and feel now.

3. Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)

4. Say My Name (Tove Stryke)

5. I Want Something Just Like This (The Chainsmokers)

The next one is one of a bunch I heard when watching my first Eurovision Party this year.

6. Eurovision 2017:

Running on Air (Nathan Trent)

Lights and Shadows (O’G3NE)

Origo (Joci Pápai)

Where I Am (Anja)

My Friend (Jacques Houdek)

Grab the Moment (JOWST)

Story of My Life (Naviband)

Beautiful Mess (Kristian Kostov)

I Feel Alive (IMRI)

Yodel It (Alex Florea & Ilinca)

Gravity (Hovig)

Fly with Me (Artsvik)

Flashlight (Karsia Moś)

Amar pelos dois (Salvador Sobral)

City Lights (Blanche)

Don’t Come Easy (Isaiah)

Never Give Up on You (Lucie Jones)

Next are some from the concerts of the year:

7. Te Deum (from the MonUCS May concert, Choral Icons). First time I’d heard this song and I still remember it well. From the same concert, other standouts included Five Eyes and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

8. Peace/ Equip Yourself for Life, Pink Telegram, 0808, and other songs from the John Monash Peace Cantata – a highlight of the year and one I’m proud to have participated in. My only regret is that uni prevents me from participating in the overseas performance next year.

9. Pirates of Penzance (from MonUCS’ performance). I find myself humming songs from the production at times still. I’m not singling out any because they were all very good.

10. ETA: Mr Brightside (by The Killers). Purely because hearing it reminds me of the 2017 AFL Grand Final, with all its emotions. #gotiges

11. Finally, Christmas songs. This year, those include adapted versions of Winter Wonderland and White Christmas as for once they were almost appropriate. As well as “Green Book Carols”, from MIV carolling gigs and LaTUCS’ carols performance. Also the Vaughn Williams’ piece, Fantasia on Christmas Carol. I was reminded of the piece at the start of December and realised that I really had had a good year, as the last part of the piece hoped.

There might be more, but I think ten is a good starting point! Happy New Year everyone. I’m currently finishing this on a plane that’ll land back in Australia from Japan in a bit under an hour. I’ll post this then.

Keep an eye out for the rest of the Japan Trip posts this week and I hope you have a good year ahead of you. I reckon I do, but I know it’ll be busy too. MIV2018 starts on the 11th after all…

“An ORGANic Christmas” Concert Review

Last Saturday’s concert from MonUCS (Monash University Choral Society) was really good. It had fun pieces and grand pieces and carols. An organ accompanied some songs.

Their opening piece (Regina Coeli from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni) began with quite the entrance. The choir walked in two columns between the audience seats in order to get to the front of the church to perform from. I thought that was pretty cool.

There were the pieces I hadn’t heard before, sung with vocal strength and expression. Operatic choruses which were gorgeous to listen to and surprising, emotional and sweet by turns. Some of these pieces had soloists – all of whom performed very well. These pieces included the Priest’s Chorus (from Die Zauberflote), Chorus of Enchanted Islanders (from Alcina), Dido’s Lament and Final Chorus (from Dido and Aenea) and even a humming one, Humming Chorus (from Madame Butterfly).

I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I watched my friends perform after weeks of hard work. I also enjoyed singing along to some of the carols as we were encouraged to do – though only at mezzo piano volume so as to hear the actual choir. The carols were not all your usual fare – in fact, two of them I only knew thanks to the carolling gigs last week. That made it all the more fun. Carols included Infant Holy Infant Lowly, Zither Carol, Gloucestershire Wassail and others.

The choir were balanced beautifully, each section blending well (the ultimate goal) while holding their own parts in a superb manner. Each section also had its chance to shine, enabled by the range of songs chosen. For example, it was noted that the tenors sang “without hesitation … and with a wonderful lightness” as one friend put it. The altos were the smallest section of the four, but it didn’t feel like it. The basses carried the bottom range as they are supposed to, giving strength and resonance, while the sopranos were glorious on top.

Bravo, MonUCS! I look forward to seeing what you’ll do next year – and to singing with some of you at MIV. Well done!

 

 

 

 

Fun stuff: all the choir things

Yesterday, my choir (LaTUCS) sang carols at an end-of-year event at uni. Nice and I’m hopeful it’ll lead to further opportunities.

This weekend (starting this evening) I will be a-carolling with MIV2018 people.  Tomorrow afternoon too. Our concert tickets for the end-of-festival performance are on sale now. Put the evening of the 20th of January 2018 in your calendars (Facebook link here – friends should expect invites shortly) and get some tickets via this link.

Also, MIV merchandise sales close on Monday, December 11th – this coming Monday which also happens to be the one-month-out date! Wow. If you want a tie-dye tote bag, a keepcup, promise of concert CD and participant photo, or tickets to the “Aquademic” Dinner, please head on over to miv.org.au, sign up for an account on the website and buy the things you want.

This weekend has other fun apart from carols. Tomorrow evening I’m attending a choir concert by MonUCS. Can’t wait – the program sounds really good. 😀 Here is a link to the Facebook event and click here for tickets (or get them at the door). Hooray!

 

Life Update

Today is a day of sunshowers, of the sky going from “partly cloudy” to “overcast and drizzly” and back multiple times. Glad I didn’t end up doing any washing today!

This week has been a case of doing “a little of this, and a little of that”.

I’m really enjoying just doing stuff with earphones in, listening to playlists. It’ll be even better in a couple of weeks when I don’t have to have earphones in in order to listen.

One of those little things this week was the re-opening of documents relating to Lily’s story. I’ve re-familiarised myself with the characters and their timelines. Next step is to look at the Plot Synopsis and then open the actual story document. Slowly, slowly…

I need to type up some more recipes.

I’m still making my way through the Captain Awkward blog archives. I’ve come across a few old threads which have been good to read and reflect on. Like the one about a person’s clumsiness and seeming disorganisation leading to a discussion about the labels we give ourselves and the way we believe them (i.e. harmful or helpful?). It also mentioned owning our mistakes. Then there was the one I read this morning about anxiety and coping. Lots of interesting things to think about for me in them.

In that light, it’s worth noting that I’m getting better at making phone calls to Important People or for Important Reasons because extracurricular activities like being LaTUCS President have forced me to become better. It’s alllll about the scripting and note-taking, for me at least. When it’s got to be done, it will get done and each time feels a bit better.

Watch this space, too, because LaTUCS and other choirs I know are preparing our Christmas offerings. Too early in the year for you? Not for me! 😛 At least, in this sense.

Ooh, and while we’re on the subject of choirs – you have EIGHT days to go before Early Rego closes for MIV2018. Better get to it, if you want to join us….

Oh yeah….and I was reminded this week (for the first time in a while) – just because it feels minor, doesn’t mean it always is. A cough is sometimes just a cough and sometimes it’s bacterial pharyngitis (inflamed throat caused bacteria). Don’t be me and just “put up with it” for weeks until you realise it has been weeks. (Though, yay for good immune system to keep it feeling minor all that time – and thanks, health system for good GPs and costs.)

Of course, the issue I blogged about on Tuesday, the situation of the men on Manus, is still very much at the forefront of my mind. I hate, hate, hate the fact that politics is so hamstrung about it. It’s maddening. 😡

So that’s me. How about you?

Hip hip huzzah for a wonderful Pirates concert

As my post on Friday indicated, on Sunday evening I went off to see The Pirates of Penzance by MonUCS. It was a fantastic show. As I reflected on earlier this year, there’s something really nice about watching your friends perform a great show, knowing that they’ve been working towards it for months. 

It was really, really fun. I’d never seen it before, which made it all the more special. It was both fun and funny, touching on themes of duty, family and choice but mostly just being a jolly good romp. For some time I’d been avoiding spoilers of songs and so on, but since the concert they’ve been running through my head, competing for attention. They were well-sung after all. Acting was also very good. I could tell people enjoyed themselves on stage just as we enjoyed watching them. 😉 

Afterwards (after packing up or “bumping out”) we went off to a choir member’s house for more singing, food and conversation. Fun! 

As I said afterwards, I’m so proud of all my friends. Well done! I can’t wait for the projects to come. 

MonUCS Presents: Pirates of Penzance

I’m going to see a show on the weekend and I. Can’t. Wait!! My boyfriend and a number of friends in a fellow university choir, Monash University Choral Society (MonUCS) are performing in a musical production: The Pirates of Penzance! 😀 I’ve seen some promo shots and it all looks so good… read on for a full description I grabbed from the public Facebook event. Tickets on sale now – see links at the bottom. 

Monash University Choral Society presents Pirates of Penzance! 

Join our rollicking band of pirates, police & beautiful maidens for a familiar tale of love, duty, and a surprising amount of orphans. Our production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s iconic operetta is a highly entertaining mix of ‘classic’ and ‘pop-culture’ jokes and freshly spun hilarity, which will surely engage both new & long term G&S fans alike. Follow the unlikely journey of young Frederic, who is ready to leave his pirating days behind him and learn the ways of the world (and its women). But the seas of life and love are seldom smooth sailing…

Our talented cast will leave you with a smile on your face, and a song in your heart. Book now!
Directed by Robert Dora & Helen Vice

CAST

Frederick – Naomi Hyndman

Mabel – Eloise Wilmann

Pirate King – Rohan Wilksch

Ruth – Alex Lewis

General Stanley – Nick Power

Samuel – Kevin Hendrey

Edith – Beth Stimpson

Kate – Angeline Seow

Police Sergeant – Daniel Yeaman
Ticket Prices

$30 full fee

$25 concession

Available for Purchase via http://www.trybooking.com/RODW

https://www.facebook.com/events/167070257187573/

MIV2018 Update: Free the Freshers!

Another month has flown past! We’re now less than FOUR months away from the festival! Wow!! 

With that in mind, here’s the latest mail-out. It’s announcing a bit of friendly competition to get more freshers to IV, continuing the hunt for a Merch Officer, giving details about the next social event (I helped write that bit 😉 ), and reminding everyone that registration is open (2 months until timely registration ends so get cracking)! 

____________________________________

From the Convenors’ desk…

There’s nothing like being a Fresher at IV. And there’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition between AICSA choirs.

Here at MIV2018, we’re combining the two in our Free the Freshers Competition.

Two FREE Fresher Registrations are up for grabs across two categories. So each choir gets TWO CHANCES TO WIN! 

Category One: Awarded to the choir who registers the most Freshers. 

Category Two: Awarded to the choir who registers the most members (fresh and not so fresh) to attend MIV2018. The figure is calculated as a per capita proportion of the choir (based on the census data recently and generously provided by your committees). 

The competition is open NOW and closes at the end of timely registration (Midnight 11 November). 

After that we’ll be busy notifying the winning choir(s) who can allocate their FREE Fresher Registration however they wish. 

They could nominate one Fresher to have their registration fee reduced to zero; split the credit among multiple Freshers to partially reduce the cost OR… actually we think those are the only two options. 

So get fighting for your Freshers to party at IV! Every registration received before 11 November bring the prize closer to your choir. Keep an eye on the total current registrants from your choir. More detailed breakdowns and current competition winners are visible to registered and logged in users. 

The MIV2018 Committee will determine the competition winners based on registrant information and relevant calculations. Committee decision are final and no debate will be entered into.
Join the MIV2018 team as our Merchandise Officer

MIV2018 committee is currently taking expressions of interest for the role of Merchandise Officer.

If you have a passion for choral fashion (and a deep-seated love of spreadsheets) then we’d love to hear from you.

To express your interest please reply to this email or email me directly at secretary@miv.org.au.
Save that (one) day in September

September is a busy month in Melbourne. The wonderful MIV host choirs are preparing for concerts, with LaTUCS and MonUCS performing in September and ROCS performing in October. Meanwhile, there’s sport, sport, sport going on outside.

Come join your choral family to fanatically watch the big game, dip your toes for score updates or ignore it completely with card games, board games and more.

There’ll be BBQs available for pre-game lunch and a tuck shop full of munchies to keep you fuelled for the afternoon.

More details for the Post/Pre Concert Party (that you don’t have to organise) will be released on Facebook and via email soon.
Registration is open.

In less than six months you could be taking the stage with us, a full orchestra and hundreds of fellow choristers to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. But you must register to secure your place.

The summer of ’69 will be here before we know it. Register now to be part of the magic. We can’t wait to see you in Melbourne next year!

Peace and love, 

Alex and El xoxo

REGISTER FOR MIV2018