A COMMUNITY choir that formed specifically for a one-off event were remarkably cohesive.
It’s hard to see how they wouldn’t be, singing from the same song sheet for six weeks about the Sound of Your Town tour, staged at the Kerang Memorial Hall on August 19.
Close to 150 people enjoyed an evening of performances, headlined by Mama Kin Spender – featuring ARIA-nominated performer Danielle Caruana and producer Dingo Spender.
“Mama Kin Spender is renowned for taking a community’s passion for music and storytelling to new heights, and their performace at Kerang was no exception,” Gannawarra Shire Council chief executive Tom O’Reilly said.
“The duo not only entertained the audience with their musical talents, they also explained the history of each song they performed, which was quite emotional and personal.”
The highlight of the show, supported by Creative Gannawarra, Regional Arts Victoria and Creative Victoria, was Mama Kin Spender performing alongside the Kerang Community Choir, which formed specifically for the night.
Choir members spent the six weeks leading up to the performance working under the direction of renowned local choir master Terry Carter and loved the experience of joining Mama Kin Spender on stage to perform six songs.
The choir included Deputy Mayor Jane Ogden.
“The experience working for six Wednesdays in a row with Terry Carter, Angela Ginnivan, Claire Gillen and some beautiful community from Kerang, Cohuna and Boort was so much fun and good for the soul (and vocal chords),” Cr Ogden said.
“Once we got into the rehearsals with Mama Kin Spender two days before the performance, I think we were all a bit nervous as to how we would go without the words and music in front of us, but we rocked it.
“The time with Danielle and Dingo Spender was very special, as Danielle explained the stories behind each song, which then gave us a deeper and richer understanding, and this flowed into our performance.
“This experience really showed me what’s possible (and fun) to achieve in a short time when a group of all ages comes together with the same goal in mind.
“We all had the best of times.”
Local talent also featured prior to Mama Kin Spender taking to the stage, with Elise Drake the night’s support act.
“Elise is renowned locally for her musical talents, and it was a honour to provide her with the opportunity to share the stage on this special night,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“Council thanks all who attended this unique evening and looks forward to providing similar opportunities for residents to experience the thrill of performance arts in the future.”
Creative Gannawarra’s 2022 performance program will wrap up on September 14 with family-friendly show The Alphabet of Awesome Science, at the Kerang Memorial Hall from 6pm.
