Running With Cheese

After the desert I spent a few days in Sydney, working on the Living Hamsters/ Club Cheese recordings with Peter Dasent (very encouraging), and also caught up with the Heavenly Lights and some key past and present COTGOS members. Then a brief weekend in Canberra, where I had an excellent group of singers attend a weekend workshop (thanks Liz), then a couple of days off in Hobart.
    I stayed in my hotel room in Hobart working on music most of the time, but got to a few of the Festival of Voices events. I liked Myron Butler's style in teaching contemporary gospel, enjoyed the TSO Chorus singing Spanish songs in an indoor tennis court, and enjoyed the opening concert in the lovely St Davids: Gondwana Voices singing Ross Edwards, Ginger and Tonic's take on pop music. I also got to hang with chums from last year's gospel tour and other friends in Hobart who were attending the festival.
    My FOV workshops were wonderful, a huge and enthusiastic crowd in the beautiful Hobart Town Hall, and the one night I went to the Festival Club, it was rocking: Kavisha Mazzella, Stephen Taberner and Irene from Melbourne Massed Gospel Choir were excellent.  Had to go to Launceston to do a weekend (very nice, by the way, thanks Lee and Singcognito), so I missed the final events, but from what I did see, it was obvious the Festival was bigger and better than ever. Plans are afoot to make FOV 2011 into a massive gospel event, so if that's what rotates your codpiece, keep tuned to the FOV site.

Ok, so last year’s Desert Choir was amazing, but this year, thanks to a sensational wet season, the desert was even more spectacular. The 6 days in the West McDonnell Ranges took us to ochre pits, petroglyphs, gorges, plateaux, gorges, chasms, valleys of ancient palms, all in remarkable colours and textures. Due to my panoramic ignorance of all things floral, I can’t give any botanical details, but everything was in bloom, and rivers were flowing—a good thing until we had to get out of the Ormiston Gorge through the water. Some members of the party had to do some moderately intense rock-climbing, while others sang opera on the bank and paddled out in inflatables. Everything was done with good humour, and it was a wonderful group, open, articulate, willing and fun.


Standley Chasm: Shine on me. Pic: Marianne

     Walking and singing every day, periods of meditative silence, a lot of laughter. Peak moments for me were the vocal improvisations, singing solo in the Standley Chasm while Marianne conducted the choir, the stillness of the star-filled night when one got out of one’s cocoon to take a leak, and above all the concert in the Hermannsburg church where we had the privilege of singing with one of the traditional owners, charismatic country legend Warren H. Williams on his wonderful song, ‘Learn my song’. His son Nicholas, who can’t help but be a star in his own right, was our guide and a beautiful addition to the team, always agile and charming, and above all, present. A model for us all. Thanks to Raymond, Candyss, Nicholas, Tom, Kaz, Mark and the singers for a great week, and thanks to Janet for the Mollydooker libation.
(Next year’s Desert Choir: June 18-25 2011 - but before then, Singing and walking in the Margaret River, March 5-12 2011 - see Into the Blue. )