• AIV1969

The 20th Intervarsity Choral Festival: ADELAIDE, 26 May-6 June

Patron: Sir Bernard Heinze
Chorusmaster: Philip Britton
Accompanist: Anne Quilty
Camp Venue: Quorn (in the town’s four hotels)
Participants: AUCS, SCUNA, FUCS, MUCS, MonUCS, NUCollMus, QUMS, SUMS, TUCS, UWAUCS

COMMITTEE

Convenor: Ken Patterson
Secretary: Jula Szuster
Treasurer: Rick Gerner
ConMan: Vernon Lewis
Publicity: Sylvia Piddington
Camp Officer: Tony Correll
Transport/Billeting: Paul Wilkins, Denys Correll
Social Sec: Sue Priest
Orch: Anne Quilty

CONCERT 1

2 June, Bonython Hall
Conductor: John McCaughey; Philllip Britton; Chris Burrell; John McCaughey; Elizabeth Silsbury; David Carolane
Program: Monteverdi Mass in F (1641)(MonUCS); Bach Now Shall the Grace, Gabrielli Jubilate Deo (SUMS); Monteverdi Mass for Four Voices (Gloria), Distler Mörike Lieder (SCUNA+NUCollMus); Keith Humble Trois poèmes a crier et a danser (MonUCS); Bergsma The Sun, the Soaring Eagle, the Turquoise Prince, the God (AUCS+FUCS); Americana (MUCS)
Notes: “Individual Items Concert”. Piano: Marcus Cox, Jim Cotterell. Interludes played by Standish Roberts Brass Ensemble. Pieces by Ravel and Szymanowski played by Bogdan Kazimierczak (violin) and Jane Wilson (piano).
Review: John Horner, “Choirs in whole gamut”, Advertiser, 3 June 1969 (late ed.), p.3. “… the 20th Inter-Varsity choral festival got off to a fine start last night in the Bonython Hall, with four choirs covering the whole gamut from sublime to ridiculous … the classics were beautifully done on the whole. Adelaide’s Phillip Britton … led off with the Sydney choir … – full, well-rounded tone and a confident ensemble … Chris Burrell … secured the most subtle choralism of the evening … Here for the only time in the concert we heard men’s voices alone. How lovely we men can be when we get a chance. Adelaide cum Flinders … broke some exciting new ground with [the Bergsma] … But the riot of the evening came from Monash … [John McCaughey] broke us up with Keith Humble’s ‘Trois poemes a crier et a danser’. This started with a shriek in chorus and the score was made up of puffings, gruntings, burrings, long holding notes, waving jars and containers (immediately thrown away), mewings, bottle bangings and every noise they could think of, not all ugly, but all woven into a five-minute, well-rehearsed and conducted symphony; worth hearing – once.”

CONCERT 2

4 June, Centennial Hall
Conductor: Ralph Middenway; Phillip Britton
Soloists: Genty Stevens, Nancy Thomas, David Galliver, Robert Dawe
Program: Ralph Middenway (arr.) Gaudeamus Igitur; Handel Solomon (parts 1 and 3); Joubert The Choir Invisible
Notes: Intervarsity Festival Orchestra. Joubert was premiere Australian performance and perhaps only the second in the world.
Review: Harold Tidemann, “Choral works impressive”, Advertiser, 5 June 1969, p.14. “The 20th Inter-Varsity Choral Festival reached a resounding climax at the Centennial Hall last night when the combined choirs totalling 280 singers gave impressive performances … Conductor Philip Britton achieved magnificent results in welding choir and orchestra into a significant unit … The choir excelled in the ‘Praise the Lord’ finale [to Solomon].”

OTHER COMMENTS

Camp concert in Quorn filled the Quorn Town Hall (approx. 200 people). Photograph, “University choristers rehearse”, Advertiser, 3 June 1969, p.3.