The 26th Intervarsity Choral Festival: SYDNEY, 17 August-31 August 1975
Patron: Roger Woodward<
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Chorusmaster: Peter Seymour, John Nickson<
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Accompanist: Jim Bonnefin<
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Camp Venue: Chevalier College, Bowral<
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Participating Choirs: SUMS, UNCS, Unichant (UNSW), Pro Musica (USyd), MMM, AUCS, FUCS, TUMS, UWAUCS, MUCS, MonUCS, Ex-UCS, QUMS, NUMS, SCUNA, Otago``Mus``Union``Choir, AuckUSingers, CanterburyUMS, VictoriaUMS
=== COMMITTEE ===
Convenor: David Goodwin<
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Secretary: Ruth Marshall<
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Treasurer: Clarke Gerber<
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ConMan: Ian Callender<
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Publicity: Malcolm Middleton<
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Librarian: Edmund Perrin<
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Transport: Ella Du Rooy, Viv Nicoll<
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Billeting: Cheryl Mc``Caffery<
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Billeting: Neil Nicoll<
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Social Sec: Lindsay Mac``Donald<
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Dogsbody: Helen Vines<
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Liaison: Rosie Vines<
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Minutes Sec: Anne Stevens<
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Maestro Collaboratore: Prof. Sir Peter Platt<
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Camp Mother: Mrs May Gerber
=== CONCERT 1 ===
7.30pm, 24 Aug., Clubbe Hall, Frensham School, Mittagong<
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Program: Vaughan Williams ''Dona Nobis Pacem'' (SUMS); Azzaioli ''Due Villotti del fiore'', Victoria ''Jesu dulcis memoria'', Grimbert (arr.) ''En Passant par la Lorraine'', Cossetto (arr.) ''Moya Diridika'' (Unichant); Zangius ''Exultate justi'' (Ex-UCS); Campian ''Never Weather-beaten Sail'', D’Alisida ''Ave Maria'', D. Byers ''Ave Maria'' (OMUC); A. Scarlatti ''Exultate Deo'' (FUCS); Lassus ''Mon coeur se recommende à vous'', Wilbye ''Adieu, Sweet Amarillis'', Byrd ''Haec Dies'', Eric Gross ''Psalm 22'' (Madrigal group conducted by Peter Platt); Ford ''Now I See Thy Looks Were Feigned'', PDQ Bach ed. Schickele ''The Seasonings'' (excerpts), Rossini ''The Carnovale'' (TUCS); Moody Blues ''On the Threshold of a Dream'' (UWAUCS); Victoria ''O quam gloriosum'', Hoggard (arr.) adapted by John Nickson ''Sentimental Journey'', John Nickson (arr.) ''Cotton Song'' (QUMS); Josquin ''Missa Pange lingua'' (''Kyrie'' and ''Gloria'', SCUNA); Schütz ''Cantate Domino'' (UNCS); Tallis ''Sermone Blanco Angelus'' (AUCS); John Taverner ''Dum transisset Sabbatum'' (MonUCS); Vaughan Williams ''In Windsor Forest'' (part, MUCS); ''“Mavoureen”'', ''“George Jones”'' (barbershop quartet from UWAUCS).<
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Notes: “A Concert by Individual Choirs”
=== CONCERT 2 ===
8pm, 30 Aug., Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House<
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Conductor: John Nickson, Peter Seymour<
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Soloists: Nance Grant (replacing Pearl Berridge at two days notice), Lauris Elms, Raymond Mc``Donald, Grant Dickson<
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Program: ''Gaudeamus igitur'', John Nickson ''Festival Jubilate'' (commission), Verdi ''Requiem''<
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Notes: Australian Youth Orchestra. Presented as part of Rostrum ’75.<
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Review: Fred Blanks, ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 1 September 1975, p.7. “Healthy and massive tones of awe faithfully reflected the head-count of performers in Verdi’s Requiem … some 340 singers from the 26th Intervarsity … the 76-member Australian Youth Orchestra … and one conductor, Peter Seymour, labouring like a windmill in the grip of inspiration. One felt consistently that the performers rose to the occasion, not (as often happens in this kind of musical socialising) that the occasion fell to meet them. Having begun the concert, held under Rostrum ’75 with the premiere of a fine-crafted, robustly attractive, unaccompanied Festival Jubilate … the choir optimised Verdi’s dramatic contrasts … by ascending thrilling climaxes and hushing its pianissimos with disciplined refinement."<
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n.d., n.p. “Combined intervarsity choirs from all over Australia sang lustily and made a joyful noise under conductor Peter Seymour … But there was a lot wrong with the performance as a whole. The lights and shades were missing … It is probably inevitable when so many choirs come briefly together like this. But if the flesh was weak the spirit showed itself as only too willing."<
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Brian Hoad, “Catching up with the times”, ''Bulletin'', 13 September 1975, p.59. “Youthful optimistic exuberance reached its peak in, of all things, a mammoth performance of Verdi’s Requiem. The Australian Youth Orchestra and the 240 members of the Intervarsity choir … managed to send up to heaven something of a challenge to the Recording Angel to open up those pearly gates, rather than a supplication of mercy.”
=== OTHER COMMENTS ===
Steering Committee: Robert Kay, Ruth Marshall, David Goodwin, Edmund Perrin, Mark Kotowicz. Prior to camp, workshops around Sydney: Ewan Matapradja “Indonesian music”, Winsome Evans “Early Music”, Peter Platt “Madrigal Singing”, John Nickson “Improvisation”, Bryan Dowling “Choral Singing Technique”, Basil Potts “Change Bell Ringing”, Brian Hingerty “Choral Conducting Technique”, Rick Best “Jazz”, Warren Fahey “Folk Music”, Helen McKinnon “Voice Production and Singing Style”, Steven Hall “Opera for People Who Don’t Like Opera”, Orff Schulwerke, organ crawl, and chamber music group.
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||'''Previous festival: [[AIV1974]] Next festival: [[HIV1976]]'''||
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