Twenty Years and Counting...

Oriana Choir
7 days ago
2 min read

It was late in the year 2005 (when we used to say it as ‘two thousand and five’ rather than ‘twenty-oh-five’), when around thirty singers, from various locales and backgrounds, assembled around singer/musician/conductor/music director Daniel Calder, and together they brought into existence the Oriana Concert Choir. And without further ado, they put together a repertoire and began rehearsing for their debut concert, which took place on April the eighth, 2006, at the Nambour Uniting Church. And since then, the Choir has never looked back.

Well, that’s not quite true, is it? Because that’s exactly what we are doing right now; taking a look back at Oriana’s eventful, colourful and exciting history, to be celebrated in a dynamic retrospective concert at the Sunshine Coast’s Venue 114 on Sunday, November 2nd.

I was fortunate enough to be at that auspicious debut, and from the get-go it was clear that the bar for the choir’s musical ambitions was set high. I was even more fortunate to become a member of Oriana a couple of years later. The time since then has afforded me the irreplaceable experience of living through an absolutely marvellous journey, full of triumphs, trials, joyous celebrations, laughter, tears and priceless camaraderie.

Over the past two decades, Oriana has gone from strength to strength. The Choir has tackled some of the greatest choral works ever written, and performed them with grace, style and assurance. If one totted up all the individual pieces performed over the Choir’s lifetime, it would run into the many hundreds.

Many genres -classical, sacred, jazz, opera, pop, show-tunes;
Songs sung in French, German, Italian, Latin, Hungarian, Russian, Welsh and more;
Accompaniments by turn orchestral, a cappella, string quartets, rock combos, single piano;
Venues ranging from small, intimate rooms, through theatres, concert halls, marquees and cathedrals, to the largest church in the world;
Three international tours; five Queensland Eisteddfod championships; numerous collaborations with other choirs and musical ensembles.
And so much more.

So, looking back, it seems fair enough to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate Oriana’s journey to date. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! And, looking forward, I wouldn’t mind wagering that the best is still to come.

Come and celebrate with us!