Sunday, June 30, 2013

THE JOY OF SINGING WITH THE SEMITONES:

"Sing into Spring" is heading our way. 





At a time soon after 3pm on most Tuesday afternoons, this little conga line of choristers might be seen snaking its way to St Agnes' Anglican Hall in Esk for what has become a very special part of their week.  It is their bee-line to choir practice, when this trio of tots together with 7 others come together as THE SEMITONES, a new generation of music makers who are holding in their hands the continuum of the wonderful music culture now legendary in the Somerset Region and who, each week, are eager to spend an hour making magic with music and singing, inspired by their mentor Alexis FitzGerald.

So polished and confident have they become since their formation 5 years ago and so practiced are they with rehearsals, regular performances as an ensemble and alongside the "senior" group, the Esk Community Choir, that THE SEMITONES are now about to launch from their very own platform a 'Sing Into Spring' Concert of their own.  With a passion filled performance that is sure to sing away the winter and put a spring into steps in keeping with the season, they, along with guest artists, will be creating this happy state of mind on Sunday, September 8th  in the Somerset Civic Centre Foyer at 3.00pm.   
We'd love to see you there. 

By Sue Walker

Sunday, June 23, 2013

TUNES ON A TUESDAY FOR TWO:

Esk Community Choir at Regis Valley Views Gatton
There were some songs old, some new, some kind of borrowed but there was nothing blue about the atmosphere at Gatton's Regis Valley View and Laidley's Tabeel, two homes for the Aged, when the ESK COMMUNITY CHOIR brought their legendary brand of "Service in Song" and smiles to the faces of the delightful groups of predominantly elderly people on Tuesday 18th June.
Not even the declaration of a misplaced hearing device, in the case of one kindly old cove, could deter the enthusiasm of both these wonderfully appreciative audiences for the music of the Choir as Alexis FitzGerald and her Choristers served up a taste of nostalgia with some of the old celebrated tunes many of the residents were sure to have sung around someone else's piano more than half a century ago. 

There was music from the Musicals, songs to stir the heart strings and Nursery Rhymes unlike any most would have heard before with,  amongst others, "Tommy Stout" coming to the rescue of a well-bedraggled moggy and any pacemakers present were surely superfluous when Miss Muffet's nemesis, the spider,  managed to scare the living daylights out of everyone, including the Choir!!!  With apologies to Bach, the finalĂ© had feet a'tapping to the beat of "Bach-a-Rock" and then it was time to go.
There is power in an appreciative audience.  It's enough to make a Choir want to come back!!
by: Sue Walker
Regis Views  GattonAudience
Tabeel Laidley Audience
John Caffin solo 'Perhaps Love'



Hamming it up with 'Pussy from the Well'






Tuesday, June 11, 2013

OAM! WHAT AN HONOUR.





Alexis Helen FITZGERALD, Esk, Qld. For service to the community of Esk, particularly through choir and music.

Is it just me, or does the name "Alexis Helen FITZGERALD, Esk Qld", appear more outstanding than any other name on page 21 of the Courier Mail's Queen's Birthday Honours List for 2013?  There is, however, nothing imagined nor more outstanding than the merits of this honour to a person who, for well over the 35 years of her Choir's existence, has with the greatest generosity and humility, given the gifts of her time, energy and talents to her Community and her Choir and in doing so, injected a culture of Music and Musical appreciation into a small town in the Somerset Region, the ripples of which now go well beyond.
Through Alexis's skills in the art of singing teaching and the training of Choristers, she has   continuously raised the performance standards of her Choir.  From its humble beginnings of 6 ladies around a piano in her living room, it has become a Choir the size and musical quality of which sees them no longer regarded simply as a local choir in a Country town, but a Choir of note and in demand for performances in Towns and Cities well beyond their hometown of Esk.
Today, having seen a passing parade of well over a hundred Choristers in and out of the district over the past 35 years, the Choir, continuously having been under Alexis's Musical Direction, now numbers over 50 members.  These voices, all un-auditioned, belong to members who are welcomed, respected and valued as part of the Choir group where, through Alexis's encouragement, they have found an inexpensive source of fun and fellowship and a realization of the therapeutic benefits that singing in a Choir can bring.
An extensive list of Alexis's amazing Musical achievements can be evidenced by taking a wander through the Choir's "Photo Gallery" on this website but her impact has to do with so much more than these.  Daily Alexis lives her Choir's Motto "Service in Song" and rarely does she, on behalf of her Choir, turn aside an invitation to perform at morning teas, weddings, funerals, celebrations, Homes for the Aged,  or any manner of special occasion, no matter the distances required to travel nor the availability of numbers.  She is continually seeking golden moments for her Choir members and audiences to experience music in all its forms.  The opportunities she has created for the children of the Community to participate musically are evident in the successes of her latest performance group of 5 to 10 years olds, "The Semitones", who are little stars beginning to shine in their own right. The biennial event, the Amateur Classical and Jazz Music Awards, is of her instigation as is the creation of a monetary bursary to be presented to exceptionally talented music students to allow them a helping hand into potential musical careers.

To provide a detailed narration of Alexis FitzGerald's 45 year's achievements, her selfless dedication to and cultural benefits created for this Community would require no less than a substantial biography.  The passion she has for Music and for this Choir and her little acts of compassion for people, have all become a very large part of the Storybook of her Life.  Unlike Alexis, few of us have dreams which, when realized, have done and will continue to transform the lives of so many.  From her Choir who, because of the pleasure of being under her Direction, often forget that singing properly is supposed to involve a degree of hard work and not a whole lot of fun, this award to her of this Medal (OAM) in the Order of Australia, one of Australia's highest honours, could not have gone to someone more deserving of this recognition and as a Community we are mighty proud!

by Susan Walker