What's in a venue?

On July 10th, 16th and 17th, Oriana Choir will be performing its latest concert programme in 3 very different, but all in their own way, very special ‘rooms.’

Over the years since its creation, Oriana has presented concerts in many, many places – on the Sunshine Coast and further afield, in Queensland, interstate and overseas. We’ve sung beneath the dome in St Paul’s Cathedral in London; in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome; in concert halls across Western and Central Europe; in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne; and many others. Every place has its own particular character, its own acoustic signature, its own feel. Some are intimate, some are spectacular. In every acoustic environment, it’s necessary to sing in a way that accords with the characteristics of the performance space, to produce the best possible quality sound in that environment.

For the Faure Requiem/Haydn ‘Nelson’ Mass concerts, we will be singing in St. Patrick’s Church, Gympie, St. John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, and Stella Maris School Hall in Maroochydore. All have their own acoustic and atmosphere, and all are a delight to perform in.

St. Patrick’s in Gympie is a lovely building, inside and out. It was constructed between 1883 and 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1995. Its construction allows for lots of natural light to come in from above, and it is permeated by a sense of peace and serenity. Oriana has performed here several times in the past. Its atmosphere will greatly enhance the beauty of Faure’s Requiem when we perform it there on July the 10th.

St. John’s Cathedral in Ann Street, Brisbane is a majestic structure. From the outside it appears to be dwarfed by surrounding high-rise buildings. But inside, one gets a feeling of immense space and grandeur. Having performed here in past concert series, Oriana is aware of the Cathedral’s eight-second reverberation time, and so we know the necessity of adjusting the pace, and volume, of vocal delivery to account for the building’s acoustics. With that in mind, Oriana’s performance on July the 16th promises to be very special, particularly the ‘Nelson Mass’, enhanced as it will be by the Cathedral’s unique acoustic signature.

And finally, the hall at Stella Maris Primary School is an excellent performance venue for Oriana. Its acoustic allows the choir to sing without having to make any special allowances, and all we have to do is ‘watch the conductor.’ Some time ago it became available to us as to rehearse Elijah, and it was immediately apparent that we could perform concerts there, which we have now done several times, most recently with the ‘Come To the Woods’ concert last year. It’s easy to get to for our patrons, it has a seating capacity of around three hundred, and it has a welcoming feel about it. Hopefully we’ll see you there on July the 17th.

So – three venues, one choir - Oriana. Three venues, one performance standard – Excellent!

IMPORTANT NOTE!

The concert at St. Patrick’s will not include the ‘Nelson’ Mass, because of logistical limitations. The performance will be of Faure’s Requiem and Cantique de Jean Racine.

10th July, 2 pm St Patrick’s Church, Gympie 16th July, 2pm St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane 17th July, 2pm Stella Maris Catholic Primary School, Maroochydore Secure your seats by visiting oriana.org.au