Past Performances


A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Christmas Carols with a Twist

Sun, 3 Dec 2023
Programme:

Acknowledgement of Country
Joy to the World                                                        INTERVAL                                                
Hark the Herald                                                         Christmas Day (The North Wind)
Ding Dong Merrily on High                                      ABC Classic choir- Summer Together
O Little Town of Bethlehem                                     Silent Night
ABC Classic Choir – Christmas with you                God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen
The Holy City                                                              The First Nowell
Away in a Manger                                                     Gaudete
Coventry Carol                                                           Musicological Journey Through the 12 Days     
In the Bleak Midwinter                                                    of Christmas
Shepherd’s Farewell                                                  We Wish You a Merry Christmas
O Come all ye faithful
Once in Royal David’s City


Heart of Folksong

Sun, 27 Aug 2023
Programme:
Siyahamba
Acknowledgement of country
Linden Lea
Just As The Tide was Flowing
The Water of Tyne
Marianne
Skye Boat Song
Shenandoah
Ching-a-ring-Chaw
Meguru
On Suuri Sun Rantas Autius
Banaha Soldiers Song
El Condor Pasa
Sakura
Bella Ciao
INTERVAL

Four songs performed by DIVISI

Songs from the Bavarian Highlands: 
  • The Dance
  • False Love
  • Lullaby
  • Aspiration
The Wellerman
Pokare Kare Ana
Manu Rere
Maranoa Lullaby
Waltzing Matilda
   


 


Oh! Oh! Operetta and Oratorio!

Sat, 20 May 2023
Performed with the Monash Chamber Orchestra.

Programme
He, watching over Israel (Elijah) Mendelssohn
How Lovely Are The Messengers (St Paul) Mendelssohn
Be Not Afraid (Elijah) Mendelssohn
Sing Unto God (Judas Maccabbaeus) Handel
The Shepherd's Farewell (The Childhood of Christ) Berlioz
Come Gentle Spring (The Seasons) Haydn
He Sent A Thick Darkness; He Smote All The First Born (Israel in Egypt) Handel
See The Conquering Hero Comes (Judas Maccabeus) Handel
Achieved Is The Glorioius Work (The Creation) Haydn
Dance a Cachuca (Gondeliers) G&S
Strange Adventure (Yeoman) G&S
Hail Poetry (Pirates) G&S
Champagne Chorus (Die Fledermaus) J Straus
Vilja song (Merry Widow) Offenbach
Barcarolle (Hoffmann) Offenbach
Hail Mighty Jove (Orpheus) Offenbach
Minuet and Galop (Orpheus) Offenbach


Christmas Around the World

Sun, 11 Dec 2022
We performed our 2022 Christmas concert at St Simon's Rowville, on 11 December 2022.
Our program:

Hodie Christus Natus Est        (Sweelinck)                                         
O Magnum Mysterium            (Lauridsen)                                   
Magnificat                                  (Bach)                                

The First Nowell                       (English Trad. Carol, arr. Willcocks)

Carol of the Bells                       (Ukrainian Carol)                                 
Wassail song                              (English Trad. Carol, arr. Vaughan Williams)                                  
Jingle Bells                                  (Pierrepont, arr. Willcocks)                                   

Joy to the World                         (Mason, arr. Rutter)

Deck the Hall                               (Welsh Trad. carol, arr. Willcocks)                          
Pastores A Belen                          (Spanish Carol)                                      
Jingle Bell Rock                           (Beal and Boothe, arr Billingsley)                                       

Hark the Herald Angels Sing     (Mendelssohn, arr. Willcocks) )

For Unto us a Child is Born         (Handel)                      
Rise up Shepherd and Follow   (Spiritual, arr. Rutter)                      
Mary’s Boy Child                          (Hairston)                              
Amen                                             (Handel)                            

O Come All Ye Faithful               (Wade, arr. Willcocks)


1000 years of Spring Song Frivolity

Sun, 25 Sep 2022
A lighthearted afternoon of music from the past 1000 years, celebrating the return of Spring.
The concert opened with the premier performance of An Acknowledgement of Country by Tracey Edgar, sung by the choir.

Other songs included May the Road Rise up to Meet You, Summer is Icumen In, Ale Psalite Cum Luya, El Grillo,  Pastime with Good Company, Now is the Month of Maying, Sing We and Chant it, If All be True that I do think, Simple Gifts, Both Sides Now, Here Comes the Sun, Saily, and For the Beauty of the Earth, all sung by the choir. Soloists from the choir, and friends, performed Fruhlingstraum, The Flower Duet, Vilja and On a Clear Day. 

As befitting the day after AFL Grand Final Day in Melbourne we finished with a selection of footy team songs and the music that inspired them, the audience being invited to join in!


The Glory of Song

Sat, 18 Jun 2022
Our Program included:
Zadok the Priest - Handel
Cantique de Jean Racine - Faure
The Heavens are Telling - Haydn
Ave Verum Corpus - Mozart
The Hallelujah Chorus - Handel
We were accompanied by Geoff Urquart on the organ and harpsichord, Brienne Gawler on the oboe and the Monash Chorale Chamber Orchestra, whose members were local tertiary music students.

Geoff Urquart also performed Bach's Prelude in G on the harpsichord.

We were conducted by our musical director, Anne Friend.

 


A Tapestry of Christmas!

Sun, 12 Dec 2021
Our first public performance in 2 years, and performed as "masked singers" due to the continuing COVID-related restricitions. This was our first performace in St Simon's Rowville.
We were condcted by Anne Friend and accompanied by Roger King. The program included the Gloria, from Vivaldi's Gloria, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and a selection of Christmas carols, with the audience invited to participate in some that are better known.


 








 


Monash Chorale performs three main concerts each year: in late Autumn, early Spring and shortly before Christmas. One concert features predominantly classical music, the second popular music and lighter classics, with the Christmas concert including a selection of both lighter and more serious Christmas music.

A sample of some of the pieces we performed in the few years prior to 2020 is given below::

2019
December: Premiere of Gloria by David Keefe
August: Guardians of the Harmony – popular music including Duel of the Fates from Star Wars
May: Royal Crescendo - including Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Elgar’s Great is the Lord

2018
December: Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols, and Messiah excerpts
August: It’s Showtime! – songs from musicals May: Haydn and Schubert Masses
May: Autumn Classics - Schubert's Mass in G and Haydn's Mass in Eb

2017
December: A feast of traditional Christmas carols
August: Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Coronation Anthems
May: The Pirates of Penzance

2016
December: Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
September: Viva Verismo – Works by Verdi, Donizetti and Mascagni
May: Les Misérables medley, Jazz classics, and Elgar’s From the Bavarian Highlands

2015
December: Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio
September: Verdi and Handel opera choruses, music by Vaughan Williams’, Fauré, Rachmaninov and Copeland
May: Popular and folk songs from America and England
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