THE ESK COMMUNITY CHOIR NOT ‘GOING GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT’

Monday, April 20, 2020

THE ESK COMMUNITY CHOIR NOT ‘GOING GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT’

Anything Goes

While there is no doubt recent times have been tough in the trenches for so many organizations and indications appear that things might be returning to an upside of the line, the reality is that the Covid- 19 battle ahead should not go unnoticed. However, there is always hope and though the Esk Community Choir has, like so many others, had to cancel events scheduled for the coming months, it is a choir which has not been idle but relishing the weekly ‘choir by correspondence’ emails from Choir Director, Alexis, outlining instruction on new music including quizzes to sort out gaps in their grasp of new songs and stimulate further interest in their music. Often there will be youtube links to some amazing choral performances to stimulate endorphins, perchance to learn a thing or two and sometimes a motivational quote shoehorned into the ‘lesson’ for the sheer joy of it; for it is going to take more than an enforced time-out to keep this choir from ‘going gently into that good night’.

For the Choir now 42 years in the making, this obligatory hiatus has also allowed for many of the longer and not so longer serving members the time to reflect on some of the thousand and one moments which have moulded and shaped the Esk Community Choir from its humble beginnings to the choral force it has become today. Enduring are the echoes of countless concerts performed in the old Lyceum Hall, in churches of all denominations, at charitable functions, weddings, funerals and celebrated Christmas concerts, the 30^th of which is scheduled for December 6^th at the Somerset Civic Centre and is certain to be a gala celebration on so many levels. There have been performances enjoyed by the old folk at Alkira and other residences for the aged; with international choirs at the Sydney Opera House and ANZAC Days in Esk. Highlights amongst many have been full musical productions, wacky theatre restaurants, choral tours to Europe and the Queensland outback as well as collaborations with other choirs and orchestras near and far… all wonderful shared experiences which have defined our choir’s successes.

There will be an end to this lockdown and when it happens, Alexis, Margaret and the Esk Community Choir will be there to continue their journey with a feast of musical events to remind us all of the importance of music in our lives.

By: Sue Walker

A little walk through our photo collection (The pale blue captions are links to stories and photos)