The 31st Intervarsity Choral Festival: PERTH, 26 January–9 February 1980

Patron: Professor Sir Frank Callaway
Chorusmasters: Margaret Pride, Rob Kay
Accompanists: Marie-Louise Sermon, Michael Cole
Camp Venue: Muresk Agricultural College, via Northam
Participants: AUCS, SCUNA, WACollMus FUCS, MUCS, MonUCS, PUCS, QldProMus, QUMS, SUMS, TUMS
FIBS: FIBS

COMMITTEE

Convenor: Rob Kay
Secretary:
Treasurer: Sue Pearson
ConMan: Lawrie Horner
Publicity: Norm Faraday, Denis Keneally
Librarian: Meredith Wright
Camp Officer: Meredith Lane
Transport/Billeting: Chris Johnson, Julie Roberts
Social Sec: Peter Fallon
Gopher: Greg Rayner
General Ass.: Peter Rich, Lisa Davidson, Ben Macpherson
IV Mum: Mrs Daniel

CONCERT 1

6pm, 3 February, Somerville Auditorium, UWA (Midlands Railway Workshop)
Conductor: David Measham
Soloists: Julie Daniel, Meredith Lane, Bryan Connell, Andrew Kay, Julie Roberts, Peter Deane
Programme: After the Goldrush, Tears of Steel, Somebody to Love, Queen Bohemian Rhapsody, Teo Torriate; Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (Breathe, Time, Atom Heart Mother, Us and Them, Brain Damage).
Notes: “Dark Side of the Moon: A Choral Rock Concert”. Piano: Marie-Louise Sermon; Organ: Greg Schultz; Drums: Rick Whittle; Elec. Guitar: Cliff Lynton; Elec. Bass: Mick Glendinning
Review: Michael Sinclair-Jones, West Australian, 4 February 1980. “In a brave experiment that ended in triumph, 150 singers, seven soloists and six rock musicians … brought the music of Pink Floyd, Queen, Neil Young and Jeannie Lewis to an enthusiastic audience … The 150 singers asserted themselves with the wordless ‘Atom Heart Mother’ and handled well the complex echo structures … The concert ended with a standing ovation after two encores as conductor David Measham, in a quiet dig at his purist critics[,] applauded the singers and the choice of material for the programme”.

CONCERT 2

8pm, 9 February, Winthrop Hall
Conductor: David Measham
Soloists: Serena Sharp, Alan Crooks
Program: Rachmaninov Vespers; Bruckner Mass in E minor
Notes: “Choral Concert”. Members of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
Review: Derek Moore-Morgan, “Choral concert was climax”, West Australian, 11 February 1980, p.48. “Many pleasing choral effects were created … with a corporate awareness of the wide dynamic-range needed. Ideally, the courageous basses required greater resonance in individual voices to project fully the phenomenally low sounds required at times … On such a sultry evening, it was inevitable that the choir’s intonation should occasionally suffer, but the general effect surmounted these difficulties. [In the Bruckner,] control of nuance and clarity of diction were notable. The festival’s chorus master, Margaret Pride, was acclaimed by the choir in a way which clearly indicated that the week had been as enjoyable as it was successful.”