Another special welcome, this time to The Way church community in Redfern.

The Way Leadership Team, headed by Pastor Henry Dunn and his wife Reneze, invited John and Mal to speak to them recently about Celebration Sing Out!
The reception was enthusiastic, and church community members will now be joining the Celebration Choir.

The church community is comprised of Aboriginal people who have come from across New South Wales. As many are Redfern residents, they are also now City of Sydney locals.

Their involvement will be a historic first for Celebration Sing Out, as well as for their community.

SELL SELL SELL!
You are going to give a fabulous choral and orchestral concert, and all for the very important cause of Music Therapy for kids who are very sick in the Children's Hospital at Westmead. No-one should miss out on our heart-warming music feast!

Let's work together to fill the hall with an adoring audience (is there any other kind?) and also bring in as many donations as possible for the wellbeing of the very sick kids! Word of mouth is the best advertising of all, so we encouraged you to spread the word in your circle, and on your favourite social media if you are active online.

Tell them the story of our concert, the iconic Sydney Town Hall, and the stories of Music Therapy.

Invite your people to visit csme.org.au for all the information and links for information about the concert and music therapy.

Ticket sales and donations portals can be found on the CSME website.
Simply click here: BUY TICKETS and DONATE NOW!

The second half of this year's concert will feature a flow of European, Aboriginal and Australian-inspired and composed pieces.

The Puccini has a theme of Love. A pronunciation guide is being prepared for the Italian text. These choruses with soloists and orchestra will be conducted by Brett Weymark, our Patron.

They will be followed by two works for vocal soloists and orchestra, by the established Noongar composer and leading Aboriginal resident of Parramatta, Elizabeth Sheppard. The pieces are titled Sunshine and Sovereignty. Warren Fisher is setting them to an orchestral accompaniment.

These works will segue into the didgeridoo and orchestral feature, Earth Cry (1986) by Peter Sculthorpe. Of this piece, Sculthorpe said, "We need to attune ourselves to this continent, to listen to the cry of the earth, as Aboriginal people have done for many thousands of years."

The abridged version of the last movement of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in the Wiradjuri language has a theme of peace and fellowship between all peoples. Wiradjuri is a living language in a state of community revival. Aunty Mary-Anne McLean is a highly respected Wiradjuri woman, who is creating a pronunciation guide for the Wiradjuri text, to be posted on the website next week for the combined choir.

The Les Miserables concert finale is a nod to the Paris Olympics, full of famous and singable melodies. It will showcase soloists, primary voices, that combines secondary and adult choir and of course the celebration orchestra of TOPS and guests.

Lois Donnelly, Primary Co-Ordinator (pictured above), reports that the primary choir teachers and singers have been working hard in their schools, and that they also have some up-coming rehearsals for their captivating repertoire for the first half of the concert. Lois is ensuring that they are well coordinated and informed, and comfortable with the big task of musical preparation they have undertaken.

The Primary Choirs will take their places in The Beethoven chorus in Wiradjuri language. The pronunciation guide currently in preparation will be a boost for all involved.

The beautiful and evocative Primary voices will also feature in the iconic song Castle on a Cloud, accompanied by the orchestra. They will then join in with the finale, Do You Hear The People Sing. It will lift the roof, I'm sure!

Lois and Mal are looking forward to catching up at a number of schools for rehearsals during September.

For anyone who has not heard the primary choirs in previous years, you are in for a real treat!

A big shout out and warami (welcome) to the Secondary Choirs, who will be singing with the massed combined choir.
From near and far, will be students at Armidale Secondary College, Cheltenham Girls High, Knox Grammar School, Northholm Grammar School, St. Ives High and St. Patrick's College, Campbelltown.

Invitation
In today's issue of FROM the GREEN ROOM we feature Cheltenham Girls High School. All Secondary schools and colleges are invited to email in a picture and story about their choir and their preparations for this year's bumper concert, for their feature in a future issue of From the Green Room.

Cheltenham Girls High School students performed in the very first Celebration Concert in 1993, under the guidance of then music teacher, Mr Bill Kempster.
The school has continued to support the concert ever since, only missing the Covid concert in 2020.

This year, Cheltenham Girls will have 42 students from years 7 - 10 in the combined choir, led by their teachers Mrs Simone Katz and Ms Stephanie Widmer.
The Cheltenham Girls attended their first rehearsal on Sunday 4th of August at Knox Grammar.
Year 9 student Marilena Manna (below, with Mal Hewitt) was given the opportunity to sing the soprano solo in Les Miserables, to the delight of everyone there.

MORE NOTES @ KNOX
Warren invites all singers to join the excellent Knox singers for additional Celebration Sing Out! rehearsals at Knox Grammar,
every Wednesday evening of the school term.

Here are the details
When:                         This Wednesday 21st August, 7:30 - 8:30pm

Parking:                       Available in the underground carpark.
                                    There are stairs to climb!

Online
An email bulletin with the video stream login will be sent out to all Adult Choir and Secondary Teachers by 5pm on 21st August.

View after - problems and a solution
We had expected to be able to post videos of rehearsals on the website for viewing in your own time after the live event. Technical issues have made this not possible to date, and we apologise for that.

We are making alternative technical arrangements this Wednesday 21st August, to guarantee a video to watch from 48 hours after the rehearsal.
John will be in the rehearsal, so please feel free to text him if there is a problem of any sort with the video stream.

Let's Invite More Singers to Re-connect
Registrations will remain open 'til 30th September,
or until all places are filled.

There is still room on the Sydney Town Hall risers and galleries above the stage for more Secondary and Adult singers!

You are very welcome to invite more singers to join our amazing community choir and to re-connect with the joys and benefits of singing in a massed community choir, for a great cause.

John can publish a custom flyer if you want to have a poster or handbills to print and distribute.
Email your request with details to John at celebrationsingout@gmail.com

Is there someone in your circle that you can invite?
Family and friends
Work colleagues
Singers from your choir
Social media contacts
Fellow former NSW State Music Campers
Public Schools Choral Concerts veterans
The Arts Unit singers
And veterans of other transformational choral experiences had as children or adults.

Let the know that participating is as easy as 1, 2, 3

Flexible and supportive learning: "At you pace, and in your place".

1. Get the information and register online at csme.org.au/cso , click on the Registration Form link, or call John on 0429928995

2. Get Scores, Audio Guide Tracks and Sample Performances
to view, stream or download from The Green Room

3. Rehearse and Perform
Wednesdays at Knox 7;30 - 8:30pm (School Weeks) live or catch up.
Attend note-learning the rehearsal on the 13th of October: Live at Knox Grammar, Streamed on the day or catchup. 

Final rehearsals at Sydney Town Hall from 10am (TBA) and
performance 4 - 6:30pm on 27th October 2024.

______________________________________________

Ticket sales and donations portals can be found on the CSME website.
Simply click here: BUY TICKETS and DONATE NOW!

Sheet Music, demonstration performances, karaoke, guide tracks pro-tips and more are available in the Green Room.
More is being added regularly to support your learning.
No password is necessary.