The 19th Intervarsity Choral Festival: HOBART, 13-25 May 1968

Chorusmaster: Ian Cugley
Accompanist: Ros Phillips
Camp Venue: Hytten Hall, Christ College, Mayfair College, Hobart
Participants: AUCS, FUCS, SUMS, NUCS, UNCS, SCUNA, UWAUCS, MUCS, MonUCS, LaTUCS, QUMS, TUCS

COMMITTEE

Convenor: Di Atherton
Secretary: Neil Chick
Treasurer: Chris Dawes
Committee: Bruce Cornelius, Jocelyn Townrow, Helen Lawson, Gwynn Roberts
TUCS Pres: Joan Ward

CONCERT

8pm, 25 May, Hobart City Hall
Conductor: Patrick Thomas
Soloists: Helen Lawson, Joan Ward, Ian Lee, Lyall Beven
Program: God Save the Queen, Brahms Academic Festival Overture, Bach Peasant Cantata, Schubert Mass in G, Britten Cantata Academica
Notes: An ABC concert with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
Review: ‘Pleiades’, “Sopranos carry student song in Choral Festival”, Mercury, 27 May 1968, p.8. “It came as a bit of a shock to conservative ears to hear brilliant soprano overtones in the “Gaudeamus Igitur” which concluded Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture in the 19th Intervarsity Choral Festival … The young women who did so on Saturday night made a rather good job of it … They dominated two sections [of the choir], and had a lot to say in the third – the tenors. Fortunately, nature has not equipped women to sing bass parts … The predominance of the female element was unavoidable in a composite choir; indeed it provided that degree of tonal lustre often found lacking in contemporary choirs. The 200 singers … were highly competent, and presented very polished choral work in Schubert’s Mass No.2 … The audience was a regrettably small one.”

OTHER COMMENTS

Lunch-hour individual items concerts held in the Town Hall, 21 and 22 May from 12.15 to 2.00. At one, SUMS conducted by Peter Seymour sang Byrd Mass for Four Voices.