Ballarat

The historic Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat was the challenging venue for a Sunday afternoon concert on 24th July. Organised by the local Theatre Organ Society, each half of the concert featured Howard Terrill who entertained the audience by showcasing the Theatre’s organ’s capabilities across a range of musical styles.

The choir filled the rest of the program with an even wider range of tunes – from The Anvil Chorus (complete with ‘theatrical’ blacksmith), through Stout-hearted Men, to Little Deuce Coupe.

The depth of talent in the choir’s ranks was ably demonstrated by solos and duets featuring Roger Bartlett, Stephen Pepper, Bob Ash, Graeme Sanderson, Graham Warner and Ed Hughes. Our mining bracket, with our Bendigo Balladeers (Rob and Merle Hopman, Ken Griffin and Wayne Blandford) singing Coal Dust Tattoo and Bob Ash with Working Man, was eerily and effectively enhanced by singing to a darkened auditorium which fittingly echoed the darkness of a coal mine.