The 60th Intervarsity Choral Festival: HOBART, Sunday 5 – Saturday 18 July, 2009

Patrons: His Excellency the Honourable Peter Underwood AC, Governor of Tasmania, and Mrs Underwood
Chorusmaster: June Tyzack
Accompanists: Margaret Gibbs, Sophie Greenlees, Debbie Kang, Iestyn Parry, David Webster
Camp Venue: Orana Guide Camp, Roches Beach (with quiet camp at Seven Mile Beach Cabin & Caravan Park)
Academic Dinner: Wyndham Resort, Seven Mile Beach
Participants: AUCS, SCUNA, FUCS (?), MUS, MUCS, MonUCS, MuscUTS, PUCS, QUMS, ROCS, SUMS, TUMS
FIBS: BLING (Brilliant Loquacious Informative and Necessary Guide)
Theme: Diamonds are Forever

COMMITTEE

Convenor, Treasurer: Michael Kregor
Secretary: Robert Kuns
ConMan: Simon Reade
Publicity Officer: Anne Gration
Merchandise: Kate Gondwana
Camp and Transport Officer: Andrew Johnson
Librarian: Tony Fenton
Consultant on Matters of I.T.: Josh Deprez
Billeting Officer: Jeremy O'Reilly
Social Secretary: Renee Badcock
General Assistant: Glenda Ashmore
Bar Manager: Jeremy Ashmore

Section Leaders: Kate Gondwana, Emma Morgan/Evil Sarah, Ben Mullaney, Bron Gondwana

Diamond Cruise Directors: Jon Hogan-Doran, Sarah Burton, Natalie Harrison

CONCERT 1

Thursday 9 July 2009, 7pm, St David’s Cathedral, Hobart
Conductors: June Tyzack, Mike Brewer
Programme: Sergei Rachmaninov: Bogorodyitse Dyevo, raduisya; Michael Tippett: Steal away and Nobody knows from A Child of Our Time; Ben van Tienen: I Hear My Song
Notes: The Rachmaninov and Tippett works were sung by the Intervarsity choir alone and conducted by June Tyzack. The work by Ben van Tienen, sung with Gondwana Voices and several combined Festival of Voices choirs, was conducted by Mike Brewer and sub-conducted by the composer; Trumpet: Simon Reade; Organ: Marian Bissett.

CONCERT 2

Saturday 11 July 2009, 5.30pm, Hobart Town Hall
Conductors: Philip Legge (Penberthy), David Webster (Orlovich)
Accompanist (Penberthy): Debbie Kang (piano)
Soloists (Orlovich): James Horne, Rodney Reynolds (baritones)
Programme: James Penberthy: Bedlam Hills (1962); Matthew Orlovich: The Blue Gum Forest (2009)
Notes: The Orlovich work was given only in part, as a "sneak preview" for the world premiére in concert 3. The programme was part of the Festival of Voices “Aperitivo” series, and also included performances by Exaudi Youth Choir and a cappella quintet Suade.

CONCERT 3

Friday 17 July 2009, 8pm, Stanley Burbury Theatre, the University of Tasmania at Hobart
Conductors: Simon Reade, June Tyzack
Soloists: Amy Richardson (soprano), Christopher Richardson (bass)
Programme: Michael Tippett: Steal away – Nobody knows – Go down, Moses – Deep River (Negro spirituals from A Child of Our Time); Don Kay: Northward the Strait (1988/2005); Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances (from Prince Igor); Matthew Orlovich: The Blue Gum Forest (world premiére*); Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky: The Year 1812, Overture Op. 49
Notes: * The work by Matthew Orlovich was commissioned by the 60th Intervarsity Choral Festival. The work by Don Kay was a world premiére of the revised version (for wind band, and extended with two extra movements). The Hobart Wind Symphony was conducted by Simon Reade in the works by Don Kay, Borodin, and Tchaikovsky; the a cappella works were conducted by June Tyzack.
Review: Elizabeth Ruthven, “Choir celebrates with real gems”, Mercury, 21 July 2009. “The Intervarsity Festival Choir joined the Hobart Wind Symphony in a mammoth program for the choir’s diamond jubilee. … The most significant works were two world premieres with both composers present … Commissioned by the festival, Matthew Orlovich created a truly inspiring setting of The Blue Gum Forest by Roland Robinson. … Under Tyzack’s direction, the well-balanced and articulate choir added aural tricks to convey scenes evocative of Australian landscape … Don Kay’s Northward the Strait was partly written in 1988 to Gwen Harwood’s poems about Tasmania’s North-West … The band, choir and soloists gave a sensitive reading thoughout this recorded performance. Simon Reade is to be commended for enabling it.”

STORIES & LINKS

“Are you getting swine-flu at Hobart IV? I'm getting swine-flu at Hobart IV! We're all getting swine-flu at Hobart IV!!”

With a pandemic strain of influenza (H1N1V, known colloquially as “swine flu”) rampant through autumn and winter, the original venue for concert 3, the Hobart City Hall, was taken over by the Southern Area Health Service for the city’s Flu Clinic. The University of Tasmania generously made available the Stanley Burbury Theatre, used for University graduations and concerts, at no charge to the Festival; ironically, by the date of the concert – but well after the publicity had been completely altered – the pandemic had become so wide-spread in the community that the effort to use a special Clinic for screening cases had been abandoned and the City Hall freed up. The first official diagnosis of the H1N1V amongst the Festival participants was the designated first-aid officer, JJ Edmondson; probably well over half of the singers ended up with flu or exhibited symptoms of influenza.

Other public performances:

• Thursday 9 July, 10 pm, Pubsong bracket at the Festival of Voices club, Long Gallery, Salamanca Place.
• Saturday 11 July, 11:40 am, Publicity sing, Salamanca Square, Battery Point.
• Wednesday 15 July, 3:30 pm, Interview and broadcast with Christopher Lawrence on ABC Local Radio.
• Friday 17 July, 2 pm, Publicity sing, Elizabeth Street Mall, Hobart.

The Festival choir also performed privately for the Governor of Tasmania at the vice-regal reception at Government House, held at 6pm on Wednesday 15 July.

The Diamond Cruise was organised by Jon “Call me Ischmael” Hog-Dog, “Captain” Evil “Ahab” Sarah, and Natalie “Starbuck” Harrison: 22 festival participants set sail on the Spirit of Tasmania from Melbourne on Saturday 4 July, having already experienced a “Bon Voyage” cocktail night and “Pre-IV” recovery BBQ, before disembarking at Devonport and undertaking a leisurely drive to Hobart by way of the East Coast of Tasmania.

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