Canberra Choral Society proudly presents GREAT PERFORMANCES ALexANDeR BALus IN THE ALBERT HALL the second 25 years (1954–1979)
20 September 2014 | Canberra Playhouse Conducted by Brett Weymark Starring Tobias Cole, Christopher Saunders and Jacqueline Porter with Christopher Richardson and Christina Wilson
Sunday 13 July 2014
Great Performances in the Albert Hall the second 25 years (1954 – 1979)
Conductor/MC: Tobias Cole Featuring Louise Page, Christopher Lincoln Bogg, Anthony Smith and CCS Chorus
With Katie Cole, Barbara Jane Gilby, Joy McDonald and the Turner Trebles Guests Veronica Thwaites-Brown and Peter Tregear God Save the Queen (all) 1954–Vienna Boys Choir (Turner Trebles) Emperor's Waltz (Johann Strauss) 1955–Medea (Elizabethan Trust Theatre starring Judith Anderson) (Katie Cole and Tobias Cole) 1956–Miklos Gafni (Christopher Lincoln Bogg) Recondita Armonia (Puccini) Mattina (Leoncavallo) Torna a Surriento (de Curtis) 1957–Leontyne Price (Louise Page) 'Piangerò' from Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Handel) Après un rêve (Faure) 1959–Beryl Kimber 1961–Isaac Stern (Barbara Jane Gilby) ‘Loure’, ‘Gavotte en rondeau’ from Partita No. 3 in E (JS Bach) ‘Sonatensatz: Scherzo’ from FAE Sonata (Brahms) 1960–The Magic Pudding (Peter Scriven’s Puppets) (Joy McDonald) 1961–The Sentimental Bloke (singalong)
2
Interval
1963–Rita Streich (Louise Page) ‘O luce di quest’anima’ from Linda di Chamounix (Donizetti) 1965–Canberra Choral Society ‘Hallelujah’ from Messiah (Handel) 1968–Canberra Children’s Choir (Turner Trebles) ‘Wolcum Yole’ from Ceremony of Carols (Britten) 1968–Canberra Choral Society ‘Kyrie’, ‘Gloria’ excerpt from Missa Solemnis (Beethoven) (with Louise Page, Veronica Thwaites-Brown, Christopher Lincoln Bogg & Peter Tregear) 1969–Canberra Choral Society ‘Quando corpus morietur’, ‘Amen’ from Stabat Mater (Dvořák) (with Louise Page, Veronica Thwaites-Brown, Christopher Lincoln Bogg & Peter Tregear) 1969–Canberra Choral Society ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ from Mass in B minor (JS Bach) 1970–Canberra Choral Society ‘O Haupt voll Blut’ from St Matthew Passion (JS Bach) 1971–Canberra Choral Society ‘Lacrymosa’ from Requiem (WA Mozart) 1972–Canberra Choral Society ‘Conquissabit’ from Dixit Dominus (Handel) 1975–Canberra Choral Society ‘Amen’ from Messiah (Handel)
3 A Message from CCS President, Alison White Canberra Choral Society is really delighted to return for our second in the series Great Performances at Albert Hall. This much-loved venue has witnessed some truly wonderful performances over the years and we have much pleasure in recreating some of those historic performances this afternoon. I would particularly like to acknowledge all the talented Canberra artists who have contributed to the program and of course our dynamic and creative conductor and artistic director, Tobias Cole. I would also like to thank the very hard-working members of the Canberra Choral Society committee and choir members who devote hours of their time to the choir and without whose hard work we could not possibly put on these performances. The Canberra Choral Society relies in major part on funding from ticket sales and donations and I gratefully acknowledge those donors who have so generously supported this concert. You too can choose to support us and by doing so help us to present high quality and creative performances for Canberra audiences. All donations to the Canberra Choral Society are tax deductible. Our next performance will be the Australian premiere of Handel’s oratorio Alexander Balus, with acclaimed tenor Christopher Saunders and our own Tobias Cole as two of the leading soloists, along with many other talented musicians and singers. This concert will be performed on original instruments in the Canberra Playhouse and we look forward to seeing you in the audience on Saturday 20 September. In the meantime I hope you really enjoy this entertaining program. Alison White
‘While on the subject of goosebump-raising singing voices, Canberra’s greatest vocal goosebump-raiser is Tobias Cole the counter-tenor. He materialised (an unprogrammed surprise) singing as Queen Elizabeth I in … Great Performances in the Albert Hall – the first 25 years. Cole, this column’s 2012 Canberran of the year, gets that gong for 2013 4
A Message from CCS Artistic Director, Tobias Cole For its first thirty-seven years the Albert Hall served as Canberra’s major performance venue. Whenever a singer, musician, or company (dance, theatre or puppet) of national or international renown visited Canberra, people would put on their finest and make their way to the Albert Hall. After the Canberra Theatre opened in 1965, the Albert Hall became an affordable and preferred performance venue for community groups including Canberra Choral Society. But when the Canberra School of Music Auditorium (now known as Llewellyn Hall) opened in 1976, CCS deserted the Albert Hall for the larger stage and, arguably, better acoustics of the new venue. I am sure you will enjoy all our guest artists this afternoon, including Beryl Kimber and Isaac Stern (Barbara Jane Gilby), Albert, the grumpy pudding (Joy McDonald), American soprano Leontyne Price (Louise Page), Polish tenor Miklos Gafni (Christopher Lincoln Bogg), Australia’s expat actress Judith Anderson (Katie Cole), the Vienna Boys Choir (Turner Trebles), and many famous accompanists and local orchestras (Anthony Smith). I have drawn my information from three main sources: the online digital newspaper collection on the National Library’s Trove website, Peter Campbell’s book on the history of Canberra Choral Society and a very insightful conversation I had with local writer Lenore Coltheart, whose history of the Albert Hall will be published very soon. Enjoy this glimpse of what it might have been like for Canberrans of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to experience a performance in our Albert Hall. Tobias Cole as well, in part for staging things so progressive, so unpretentious and so excellent. Concert-going, music loving Canberrans speak of him with the fondness with which, in his heyday, football-loving Canberrans used to speak of Mal Meninga.’ (Ian Warden, Canberra Times, 31 December 2013) 5 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 Extracts from the Canberra Times 8 June 1954
18 June 1956
6 6 October 1955
Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 6 October 1955
5 August 1957
7 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979
3 August 1960
10 June 1961
8 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979 8 March 1961
My Sentimental Bloke (Singalong) Bill! You're the man that I adore Bill! You're the man I've waited for All my life I knew that someone soon Would come to me out of my dreams Bill! When you say you'll love me true Bill! When you say I'll do for you My heart tells me now that I'm bespoke I know I'm yours, My Sentimental Bloke. Music by Albert Arlen, lyrics by Nancye Brown 9 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979
25 September 1963
25 September 1963
15 March 1965
10 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979
11 October 1968
15 October 1968
11 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979
11 April 1969
28 October 1969
12 Great Performances Scrapbook 1954-1979
19 October 1970
All articles in our Great Performances Scrapbook come from the Canberra Times via the amazing resource trove.nla.gov.au.
13 Our Artists Tobias Cole, CCS Artistic Director Tobias Cole has gained a reputation as a highly sought after choral trainer and innovative concert programmer and was recently appointed a Distinguished Artist in Residence at the ANU School of Music. As CCS Artistic Director, his inspiring long- term vision includes presenting one Handel dramatic oratorio in Canberra each year. He is well qualified for the task, with a Helpmann Award nomination in Handel’s Julius Caesar (Opera Australia, 2007) and a Green Room Award in the title role of Handel’s Xerxes (Victorian Opera, 2009). CCS has presented two of Handel’s dramatic oratorios under Tobias’ leadership: Saul (2012) and a sellout Theodora at the Canberra Playhouse in 2013. 2014 will see the Australian premiere of Alexander Balus. Tobias is also one of Australia’s most successful countertenors, travelling the country as a soloist in opera, oratorio and theatre. Last year he performed in a staged production of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Opera Queensland, Dido and Aeneas for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Theodora for the Canberra Choral Society, concerts at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Music Festival and the Woodend Winter Arts Festival, Carmina Burana for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and a number of guest appearances with the Song Company. This year Tobias has appeared in the Canberra International Music Festival and in New Zealand with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. In August he will perform the title role in Philip Glass's Akhnaten with the State Opera of South Australia.
14 Our Artists Louise Page Louise Page is one of Australia’s most highly regarded singers and has performed in opera, operetta, oratorio, cabaret, recital and broadcasts throughout Europe and Australia. She is the winner of the inaugural Mietta's Song Recital Competition, the vocal grand final of the ABC Young Performer of the Year Award, the Robert Stolz/Apex scholarship to Vienna, and the Belgian Radio and Television Opera en Bel Canto City of Ghent Prize. Louise has performed throughout Europe, including at the Vienna State Opera as a member of the young artist program. Now based in Canberra, she has performed with the Sydney, Queensland, Canberra and Central Coast Symphony Orchestras and the National Capital Orchestra, and in recital for Musica Viva, the ABC, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, the Canberra International Music Festival and many others. Louise has recorded six CDs with accompanist Phillipa Candy, varying from Lieder to operetta, Australian music and Christmas songs. Her awards include a Canberra Critics Circle Award for music (2007), Canberra Times Artist of the Year (2007) and an OAM for services to the performing arts (2013). Christopher Lincoln Bogg Chris began his enthusiasm for music and theatre as a keen amateur while growing up in his native Canberra. His first opera solo role and his first oratorio were performed in the Albert Hall as a boy soprano, and he later sang as a member of CCS before embarking on a professional career. This career has included major roles at some of the world's leading opera houses and touring throughout Europe and the USA. Chris has also been soloist with Opera Australia and 15 Our Artists many of the regional orchestras, opera companies and choral organisations in Australia and New Zealand. His wide solo repertoire includes favourites and rarities in both traditional and contemporary opera, most of the great concert choral classics as well as an eclectic mix of recital and art song. He has also appeared in operettas, musicals and plays and in diverse venues from intimate cabaret stages to giant arenas. Chris has recorded for the Orfeo label, Move Records Australia and made many radio broadcasts. His awards include the Dame Joan Sutherland Society Scholarship, the Bond Family Scholarship for Tenors and the German Operatic Award. He was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his performance in Opera Australia's Madeline Lee. Anthony Smith (piano) Anthony Smith is one of Canberra’s leading accompanists. Répétiteur for CCS since 2005, his knowledge, skills, and insightful feedback make him an invaluable part of our rehearsals. It is always special to be able to feature Anthony on stage where our audience can appreciate his wonderful accompanist skills. Anthony Smith is also a musicologist and composer who has written chamber music, solo piano works, a work for small orchestra, and music for theatre. CCS was proud to give the first complete performance of his first essay in the choral medium, Mass in C minor ‘Latin’, at our Canberra Voices concert in March 2014. 16 Our Artists Canberra Choral Society From humble beginnings in 1952 as a small group of people singing for pleasure, the Canberra Choral Society (CCS) has become one of the most innovative and exciting choirs in the capital. Led by Artistic Director Tobias Cole, CCS is known both for traditional choral repertoire such as Handel’s Messiah, and for surprising audiences with new music, new venues, and new ways to experience old favourites. A recent feature of CCS programming has been works by local composers, beginning with The Best Choral Music Ever Written by an Australian Composer with a Canberra Connection (2013). Not only did this concert have the longest title in the Canberra Centenary program, it also showed that Canberra composers can be cheeky, uplifting, political, ethereal, rhythmic, entertaining, sublime, and everything in between. Canberra Voices (2014) continued the exploration, and proved that it really is possible to sell out a concert dedicated solely to choral music by local (and still living) composers. A complementary theme has been the showcasing of local performers and local musical history. Concerts such as Great Performances in the Albert Hall—the first twenty-five years (2013) featured many local guest artists, and entertained audiences with familiar and forgotten musical gems and intriguing stories about the early years of Canberra’s first performance venue. Today’s concert, Great Performances in the Albert Hall— the second twenty-five years, continues this theme. To round out the musical picture, Tobias Cole is also leading CCS on an ambitious long-term project to perform all of Handel’s dramatic oratorios. 2014 will see the Australian premiere of Handel’s Alexander Balus in the Canberra Playhouse on 20 September, conducted by Brett Weymark and starring Tobias Cole, Christopher Saunders and Jacqueline Porter, with Christopher Richardson and Christina Wilson.
17 Our Artists CCS Chorus Sopranos Doris Stokes Laura Tingle Lyndal Callister Catherine Stuart Lynne Webb Bronwyn Clark Jeanette Weeden Christiane Weissbach Kelly Corner Janelle Weissman Tenors Alison Cozadinos Alison White Arko Chakrabarty Rachael Eddowes Altos Brenton Lovett Margaret Evans Barbara Austin Peter May Brenda Gill Elizabeth Clement Simon Tiller Evelyn Graham Susan Cowan Basses Jenny Grierson Judy Evans Murray Basnett Deborah Hayes Sandra Gray Phil Bloomfield June Howell Barbara Inglis Gary Faehse Ursula Hurley Trish Levick Ian Gilkes Jenny Landsberg Atja Maier Rowan Grigg Christine Mahe Beverley Payne John Inglis Nathalie O'Toole Yvonne Scales Rick Musial Erika Parkinson Sylvia Shanahan Michael Pidcock Carole Shearer Lyn Stevens David Short Margot Skinner Sarah Sutcliffe Katie Cole Katie Cole is a singer, musician, songwriter, arranger and choral director. Currently, she directs the German Harmonie choir and the ABBA choir Andante Andante. In 2013 Katie performed in Sandra France’s new opera From A Black Sky and presented a solo show Una Voce— a collection of popular and operatic songs—in the foyer of the National Library of Australia and at the Yarralumla Woolshed Arts Fair. Other recent performances include Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (CAMRA 2013), the Witch of Endor in Handel’s Saul (CCS 2012) and Morgana in Handel’s Alcina (CAMRA 2011).
18 Our Artists Barbara Jane Gilby (violinist) Barbara Jane Gilby returned to Canberra in 2000 after studying and working in USA and Europe followed by fifteen years as Concertmaster of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. She teaches violin, is Concertmaster of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and is frequently invited to adjudicate at music competitions. Barbara appears on numerous recordings on the ABC Classics label including Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and String Concerti of Richard Mills. In 2014 she has performed as soloist with the CSO and led the Corpus Medicorum Orchestra in Saint Petersburg. Joy McDonald (puppeteer) Joy McDonald left her teaching career to begin as a puppeteer in the late 1960s with Peter Scriven’s Tintookies at the Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Sydney. She continued her work with Richard Bradshaw, Australia’s leading shadow puppeteer, in various shows including ABC TVs Playschool. In later years Joy became a practising artist on the north NSW coast and then as a graduate of the National Institute of the Arts, ANU in Canberra, where she now lives and works as a multi-disciplinary artist. As part of Canberra’s Centenary, Joy’s puppet production for adults and children, The very Sad Fish-lady, was performed at the Street Theatre with music by David Pereira. She is 19 Our Artists currently taking a puppetry workshop as part of the Messengers Program for young people in Tuggeranong. Albert Pudding The Magic Pudding puppet in today’s performance was made in 1970 and travelled to Osaka, Japan to appear in Expo ‘70. He has travelled to the Albert Hall from Sydney, where he usually lives in semi- retirement in a puppet archive. Turner Trebles Tobias Cole established the Turner Trebles at Turner School at the start of 2013 as a choir dedicated to giving boys with treble voices the opportunity to develop their singing and performance skills. Last year they performed in two concerts with the Canberra Choral Society and in Carmina Burana with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. This year Tobias established a separate girls choir, the Turner Girl Trebles. The combined choirs' first performance was at the CCS Canberra Voices concert in March 2014. Hannah Bagheri Jessie Cole Julius Stoljar Cayde Ball-Curry Marcel Cole Hugh Windeyer George Banks Ashwin Phillips Oliver Windeyer Leif Bodilsen Scarlet Price Gabriel Cole Thomas Rush 20 Our Artists Veronica Thwaites-Brown Veronica Thwaites-Brown studied music and German at the University of Sydney (2001), and piano performance under teacher Phillip Shovk. She worked as a repetiteur, accompanist and choral conductor for musicians and choirs in Sydney and Canberra before shifting her focus to singing in 2004. Veronica has performed principal roles in musical theatre productions, sung in recitals including a Lieder recital for Art Song Canberra, and performed for private functions with her opera trio, Three’s A Crowd. Veronica currently sings with the chamber choir Coro, and performed in the 2014 Canberra International Music festival. Later this year she will perform the role of ‘Speranza’ in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at Llewellyn Hall. Peter Tregear Head of the ANU School of Music, bass-baritone Peter Tregear is a graduate of King’s College, University of Cambridge, where he was a Choral Scholar. He later joined the Choir of London, and still regularly performs with them in the UK, Europe and Middle East. Since returning to Australia in 2006, Peter has worked with Victorian Opera and Melbourne Opera and performed extensively as a vocal soloist and conductor. In 2008 he co-founded the Consort of Melbourne. Peter is conducting a new production of Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo in Llewellyn Hall on 21-22 August this year. 21 Our Supporters CCS gratefully acknowledge our sponsors.
Supporters Program CCS sincerely thank all our generous supporters.
ARIA ORATORIO ($100-$199) ($500-$999) Barbara Austin Laura Tingle David Short Capital Wines CMAX Advisory CHORUS Kreab Gavin Anderson ($200-$499) Judy Evans PASSION Tricia Levick ($1,000 & above) Bruce Lindenmayer Tobias Cole Margot Skinner Carole Shearer Bob Swainson Dr J O Ward The Hyatt Hotel Donations to CCS are recognised for 12 months from the time of donation. This list is current as of July 2014. Donations are tax- deductible. If you are interested in becoming a donor or in-kind supporter, please contact us at [email protected]
22 Sing with CCS! CCS offers you a number of choral options. Our Come and Sing is a great way to test the waters. There’s no audition, you get learning resources and lots of support through the rehearsals, and you’re part of a massed choir. At the end you perform in Llewellyn Hall with a full orchestra and professional soloists under a top class conductor. It’s a real buzz, as our previous guest choristers will attest. Our Come and Sing program this year is A Feast of Saint Nicolas with music by Britten and Vivaldi (performance 13 December). Details will be announced on our website. Our youth choir, CCS New Voices, is a great option for talented young singers. The choir performs a wide range of choral repertoire, including opera choruses, music theatre, world music and pop songs. For more information see canberrachoralsociety.org/sing-with-us/new-voices/. We also welcome enquiries from singers who wish to join the CCS Chorus on a permanent basis. Email [email protected] to find out about our audition workshops. Acknowledgements ABC Radio, ArtSound FM, the Canberra Times, Canberra Weekly, the Chronicle and City News for helping to promote our concerts. Yvonne Scales, Trish Levick and The Silk Road Gallery in Kingston for loan of their lovely furniture. Capital Wines for their generous donation of wines for our raffle, and for their ongoing support for our concerts. The ACT Government for ongoing support. Cover design by Gillian Worrall CCS Committee Alison White (President), Brenda Gill (Vice President), Rowan Grigg (Treasurer), Erika Parkinson (Secretary), Kelly Corner, Jenny Landsberg, Nathalie O’Toole, Beverley Payne, Bettina Söderbaum, Lyn Stevens, Doris Stokes. Program written and compiled by Kelly Corner, Canberra Choral Society, July 2014. 23 Love, friendship & loyalty are put to the test in the Australian premiere of Handel's ALexANDeR BALus the second 25 years (1954–1979)
20 September 2014 | Canberra Playhouse Conducted by Brett Weymark Starring Tobias Cole, Christopher Saunders and Jacqueline Porter with Christopher Richardson and Christina Wilson
Tickets 6275 2700 www.canberraticketing.com.au
Presented by the Canberra Choral Society | www.canberrachoralsociety.org