CIV26

The mysterious title refers to the 72nd Intervarsity Choral Festival held in Canberra over the last week or so.  Shilong put out a call for orchestral players to play with the choristers for the final concert in mid-January to end the 2 week festival.  Given the main work was Brahms German Requiem, I was a ring-in.  It was all brought together over those 2 weeks with the final concert of ~150 in Llewellyn on Saturday, no doubt preceding a celebratory pub party thereafter.  Thus is the way of intervarsity events, at least from what I remember.  It was a long program.  The main work was the German requiem under Olivia with Andrew Fysh and Evangeline Osborne soloing; delicate and desperate and driving over 7 movements totalling ~1 hour.  What a thrill to revisit this work in the luxurious surroundings of Llewellyn Hall.  Then a second half with Phantom of the opera, Slavonic dances, Sabre dance and Brahms again with his playful but still challenging Academic Festival Overture, all under Shilong, and a final work, Everything sings, with the choir and Anthony Smith accompanying.  The first week was only 2 calls for strings while the second was busy with 1 for orchestra, 3 for orch & choir and the final concert.  But the thrill of Brahms stays and this was memorable and concentrated and interestingly with an orchestra thrown together from several local ensembles.  And to top it off, we were recorded by an engineer with 40 professional releases to his name.  Looking forward to hearing that.  A worthy performance of several great works.

Vita et Mors was the final concert of the Canberra Intervarsity Choral Festival 2026 (CIV26).  Shilong Ye and Olivia Swift (conductors) various led the choir and festival orchestra through Brahms x2, Lloyd Webber, Dvorak, Khachaturian and a final song by TC Takach accompanied by Anthony Smith (piano).  Soloists for the Brahms German Requiem were  Andrew Fysh and Evangeline Osborne (vocals).

Doing the rounds

The Wesley Scholars are a changing group and they perform several times each year and this Wednesday lunchtime concert was one.  And it was a doozy, very good and plenty varied.  First up was virtuoso piano from Joyu Yuen playing a Saint-Saens Toccata from memory.  This one was fascinating, merging early jazz, ragtime or New Orleans, with classical themes through dynamics and busy chordal figures throughout the octaves.  Then solo cello from James Munro playing a Ligiti sonata movement, again mad, complex, dissonant timing and bowing and intervals, and a hugely impressive great take.  Then one of the singers, Phoebe Bourke, accompanied by Joyo,  with a modern piece she'd played to the composer, then her examiner, then back to her origins with a karaoke take on a musical number, Your Daddy's son from Ragtime.  That was all heavy.  We all know and love Tom Lehrer and Martin Magill played piano and sang Poisoning pigeons in the park.  Sadly the vocals were a little lost but the audience could imagine the theme easily enough.  Then cellos again, with Chloe Law and James Munro playing three movements from David Popper Suite for two cellos.  Apparently the composer is known for his 40 demanding  etudes, but these were sweet and melodic if challenging and again so satisfyingly played.  And to finish up a longish lunchtime concert, another singer, Evangeline Osborne with Martin Magill, and the first song was that classic song from that classic album, River from Joni Mitchell Blue.  That just struck me as it would have many in the, shall we say, mature, audience.  And then Hoard Blake and A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.  So a huge expanse of music, not just established classical but newer fine musics and jazz and even musicals.  Stunning so well performed.  This was a special one.

The current crop of Wesley Scholars performed at Wesley: Joyu Yuen (piano), James Munro and Chloe Law (cellos), Martin Magill (piano, vocals), Phoebe Bourke and Evangeline Osborne (vocals).

Tenebrae

This was the first of the Wesley Holy Week concerts-cum-religious events and it was a fascinating and unusual happening.  At least for me with my Catholic background.  The minister presenting opening prayers, final prayer and benediction and managing 13 candles during the service.  Three parishioners reading the story of Jesus' final week in a series of readings from Luke.  A choir (8 person, SATB a capella) performing music mostly of Bruckner and a longer Psalm 22 put to music by Charles Giffen interspersing the other activities.  The a quiet departure by congregation and presenters.   The whole was called Tenebrae (=Shadows)  representing the fall into darkness awaiting the resurrection on Easter Sunday.   The choir was quite lovely with intriguing harmonies, clear voices and a quiet presence.  The readings from Luke were well known and a reminder for me.  The minister's activities were a little odd, presenting items on a table and first up lighting candles then extinguishing them during the service, but intriguing none-the-less.  The whole was streamed to YouTube and is still up if you wish to see it.  Dark as it may be for most of the service.  Intriguing and very often quite beautiful.

Jade McFaul coordinated the music for Shadows at Wesley Church.  Performers were Elsa Huber (soprano) and Jade McFaul (soprano, MD), Sarah Heartwood and Evangeline Osborne (altos), Thomas Liu and Felix Huber (tenors) and Martin Magill and Lucus Allerton (basses).

View the streamed video on YouTube > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz7tUG5sZ-I

Surveying the future

The pic is of the current batch of Wesley Music Scholars performing Mozart Ave verum corpus and it was deeply satisfying but it was just the final number for this concert and it wasn't really indicative at all.  In fact, there were all manner of combinations playing all manner of musics, from Gaelic and classical, contemporary to jazz and even one original. Impressive.  But the Mozart was lovely.  Otherwise Brad and Anika played a lovely chaconne as a violin duo.  Phoebe sang time-free and unaccompanied Gaelic song, then a Handel aria.  The Ellery String quartet (Brad and Anika with Pippa and James) played two fascinating contemporary pieces: one a groove-strong country-like piece that had me think of the Ozarks and a Holly Harrison number called Swoop that just must have been about Magpies.  Then James alone playing a Kodalj cello concerto in non-standard tuning (C and G strings tuned down a semitone for an open Bmin).  Then an as yet unnamed unaccompanied vocal quintet singing that original by Jesse, Peace offering, and another Irish traditional song.  Then some jazz: Evangeline singing From the start and Autumn leaves to Martin's piano, and then the  ending with the lovely, delicate Mozart.  Quite a ride and some great playing.  The quartet is nicely established and comfortable and impressive.  The other groupings were less settled, perhaps, but plenty of promise.  So just lovely.

Wesley Music Scholars performed at a Wesley Wednesday lunchtime concert. The scholars were Evangeline Osborne (soprano), Phoebe Bourke (mezzo-soprano), Pippa Newman (alto), Martin Magill (tenor, piano), Jesse Hill (baritone) and the Ellery String Quartet comprising Brad Tham (violin), Anika Chan (violin), Pippa Newman (viola) and James Munro (cello).