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| Massed Choirs at the Orpheus' Choir 50th Anniversary Celebration |
It was Aristotle who once said the
whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
However, one doesn’t need to be a philosopher to know that at the time
Mrs Aristotle penned that one for posterity, old Ari must surely have been
urging his children to join a choir. Two
thousand odd years later and testament to Aristotle’s accuracy presented itself
in the form of five outstanding choirs who came together in celebration of the
Ipswich Orpheus Chorale’s fiftieth anniversary.
The imposing Ipswich City Uniting
Church, it’s Wesley Chapel opened in 1858 reputedly making it Queensland’s
oldest Church in continuous use, could not have been a more perfect setting for
the gathering of these esteemed choirs and the large audience who came to listen.
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| Orpheus Choral Group |
The Blackstone Ipswich Cambrian
Choir was established in 1886 and the Toowoomba Choral Society has been an
integral part of the musical landscape of the Darling Downs since 1933. With performance commitments elsewhere on
this day, it was the Toowoomba Choral Society who were masterfully represented
by the beautiful baritone voice of Ian Kammholtz. The Ipswich Orpheus Chorale is now fifty
years in the making, still boasting ‘original’ members, likewise the Esk
Community Choir which has been under the continuous direction of its founder
Alexis FitzGerald OAM since 1978 and all these, along with the next generation
of choristers in the Young Orpheus Singers, brought not only a wonderful sense
of musical history together in this historically significant building but each,
through the sum of their voices, created harmony as a whole and the joy of choral
singing, unsurpassed.
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| Esk Community Choir |
Atop the programme ‘Purely for
Pleasure’ was the brief so easily achieved amid so much amazing choral
singing. It was with gratitude that
Alexis, Margaret and the members of the Esk Community Choir were invited to be
a part of the celebration to mark this historic milestone in the life of the
Ipswich Orpheus Chorale. To Choir
Director Vicki Jones, the Orpheus Committee and Choir members for your
wonderful hospitality, we give our sincere thanks.
By: Sue Walker
Photos by: Marina Crichton
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| Margaret & Alexis |
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| Orpheus Junior Choir |
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| Cambrian Choir |
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