One more sleep and you can Come To The Woods - Again

Last Sunday was a very special day. Oriana Choir presented their first performance of “Come To The Woods”, a concert of music by American composers, at St Patrick’s Church, Gympie.

It was the culmination of several months of intense, and intensive practice, intended to bring the performance standard to the level that, over many years, our audiences have come to expect from Oriana. And it is a source of immense pleasure and satisfaction to be able to say that we did not disappoint. I think it would be fair to say that the performance on Sunday exceeded the expectations of Choir and audience. A near-capacity audience gave the choir, conductor and accompanist a standing ovation, and some of the audience feedback since the concert has been wonderfully upbeat and very gratifying.

The last couple of years have been a lean time for the performing arts. Opportunities to bring our music to our loyal audiences have been pretty thin on the ground. “Come To The Woods” has only been Oriana’s third concert series since November 2019. But even so, we have been more fortunate than many, and it really is a delight to be able to bring this beautiful music to you. The response from the audience in St. Patrick’s Church was sound validation that the choice of material for the programme, and the way it was delivered, really ‘hit the spot.’

It’s a wonderfully varied repertoire, stretching over nearly one hundred years. There are classic show tunes by Gershwin, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim; beautiful, heart-rending songs of love and loss; several American art-songs, which are lovely in their delicacy and subtlety; a brace of spiritual numbers, full of energy and emotion; a suite of madrigals; and the Centrepiece, ‘Come To The Woods’ – a complex, uplifting, riveting musical adventure, a ‘choral symphony’, unlike just about anything you’ve heard before. It’s a wonderful piece that is a joy to perform, and thrilling to hear.

Many of the genres represented in this programme are normally associated with European musical traditions. So it may be a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, to realise just how much music, over such a vast spread of genres, has come out of the New World.

Oriana is delighted to be able to bring you a sample of some of the wonderful, inspiring and enduring music that has come out of the Americas in the past hundred years. We would love you to “Come To The Woods” with us this weekend:

Saturday, November 20th, 4.00 pm at the Caloundra Uniting Church

Sunday, November 21st, 4.00 pm at Stella Maris Primary School, Maroochydore.

These too will be special days. You don’t want to miss them.

Book now at https://oriana.org.au . Door sales may be available but not guaranteed.

Ian Rix

Nov 2021