Thanks to the words being projected on to walls at both ends of the church, choristers and audience alike then sang the first carol Silent Night.

Following this, the accompanist was silent during our lullaby Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi. The Bette Midler classic The Rose came next followed by the inspirational You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel.

The choir’s chaplain, the Rev. Tom Morgan, spoke about his grandfather and great-grandfather being gold miners in Buninyong before dedicating Working Man to all miners and leading the choir in this very emotive song. So well-known has this paean become that Faleiry had no trouble inviting the congregation to join in with the final choruses.

With everybody singing together, and very accomplished descants coming from the ladies, the church was further filled with the uplifting carol O Come All Ye Faithful.

Immediately after interval we sang the choir’s specially commissioned work Land of my Song with sensitive solos from baritone John Adams and tenor Geoff Roberts.  Keva then gave a very informative and up-to-date introduction to the second Paul Jarman composition, Pemulwuy.

The third carol’s words then appeared with the whole assembly singing Good King Wenceslas with men on the second verse and ladies on the third.

The mood then turned somewhat anti-monarchical as we thundered into the spirited medley from Les Misérables featuring lovely solos on I Dreamed a Dream and Bring Him Home by tenor Rushan Hewawasam.

After the sustained applause had died down, Faleiry encouraged everyone in the church to sing Waltzing Matilda while a section of the choir sang the Welsh National Anthem at the same time. Lindell thanked us again before we came off the stage to surround the audience to sing our heartfelt farewells with Sunset Poem.

It was a marvellous way to finish off this special concert – the choir and the congregation were all in good voice, brought together harmonically on the carols and other tunes, all enhanced by the superb sound that only churches of this age and design can deliver.

Audience comments included:

• Excellent - totally enjoyable - Ann

The Bendigo group’s pianist Elizabeth Paton then took her place at the keyboard and sensitively accompanied flautist Nigel as he excelled on Bach’s Sonata in E Minor and then on a more modern tune Sunstreams by Ian Clarke.

Multi-talented Elizabeth opened the second half by introducing JS Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor before positioning herself at the Holy Trinity organ. Those choristers sitting in the choir stalls were treated to a close-up display of her dexterity including some very nimble footwork.

Nigel’s flute introduced the next number, the haunting choral arrangement of Gounod’s Sanctus with a very well-modulated solo by tenor Ed Hughes.

Bass Bob Ash introduced the mining segment and masterfully sang an a cappella rendition of A Prince Among Men, followed by Geoff Serpell on the powerful Working Man.

Switching to a love theme, tenor Rushan Hewawasam beautifully caught the romance of Suddenly from Les Mis. This was followed by the lullaby Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi, The Rose and the heart-tugging You’ll Never Walk Alone.

On a hot and humid day, we were suitably refreshed by Barry McMahon’s stirring Wild Mountain Thyme, Drew’s peripatetic Spanish Lady with castanet accompaniment and the final chorus of Waltzing Matilda with soloists Drew and Geoff, leading to the simultaneous singing of the Welsh National Anthem by some of the choir.

Julia Nutting thanked the choir for a great concert before choristers carefully picked their way through cables and other potential hazards to surround the assembled company with the famous farewell of Sunset Poem from Under Milk Wood.

Rushan was then joined by Drew Hopkins on the romantic ballad Perhaps Love and then a change of pace on to the rousing When the Saints Go Marching In with lusty singing from all the pre-rehearsed patrons on the final chorus.

After interval, they had another opportunity to sing on the English verses of Men of Harlech before tenor Gordon Parsons took the mic to sweetly lead the choir All Through the Night. Safely home, Drew and Rushan were back to present the emotional immigrant song Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears.

The choir next sang in the third language for the day with the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore complete with stirring anvil work by blacksmith Col Evans. The iconic Working Man was then sung, fittingly, by Tom Morgan whose grandfather had been a gold miner.

What Would I Do Without My Music followed and then it was time for another solo. Tony Hosemans set the scene for The Goodbye Song from Whitehorse Inn and masterfully sang it without accompaniment in the middle of the audience who certainly appreciated the feat.

Drew was up again with the Irish song Spanish Lady. The non-appearance of castanets did not faze fellow tenor Geoff Roberts who improvised marvellously with a pair of dessert spoons from the kitchen.

During the sustained applause Drew had a little time to draw breath before being joined by bass Graeme Sanderson on the modern version of Waltzing Matilda which segues into the Welsh National Anthem. After thanks, choristers walked off to Men of Harlech before reassembling around the room to sing their farewells with Sunset Poem.

The concert was great fun and the very musical audience played their part too, to make a very enjoyable intimate type of concert.

Audience comments included:

• There has been an overwhelmingly positive response and feedback after your wonderful Sunday afternoon performance. Many thanks. Carole (social committee Sackville Grange) 

• Wonderful entertainment. All people enjoyed the singing. Jan
  

•  I had been before to a concert and this lived up to all my high expectations.
  

•  A good program, excellently presented. The harmonising was excellent and the humour appropriate. Don
  

• I loved it all - thank you. Nancye
  

• Wonderful Sunday afternoon entertainment - varied program. Look forward to future concerts. Barbara
  

•  Fantastic music, loved joining in Men of Harlech. Lots of laus. Jan

• The performance was excellent. Considering the restrictions of the venue you put on a wonderful programme which was not hampered by the small space. Please come again! Susan

• We thoroughly enjoyed the whole atmosphere, and loved the choir and the rendition of the traditional Welsh songs - Keith & Betty 
  

• I had a most enjoyable afternoon attending a concert performed by the choir. Kath
  

The choir then sang the lullaby Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi, one of two tunes specifically chosen by George.

Ann and Lynn described his very interesting life in the UK as well as in Australia and spoke lovingly of their father and of his ongoing influence on their lives.

The choir stepped up again to farewell him with the irreverent but beautiful Sunset Poem.

After readings by grandchildren, there was a wonderful photographic presentation of George’s rich and varied life, accompanied by well-known excerpts from his favourite Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, a few of which he had performed in over the years.

Finally, the choir and the congregation combined to sing George’s favourite hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, before the family accompanied the casket outside to the hearse.

On his very recent trip back to the UK, with Ann and Lynn, they had managed – along with his great great-nephew, a Liverpool supporter - to see his beloved football team Everton beat Bournemouth.  Amongst other admirable traits, George was generous enough to choose Pool’s anthem, You’ll Never Walk Alone as his Leaving Song, this time sung by his favourite Welsh bass-baritone, Bryn Terfel.

Compère Bob Ash introduced the next bracket – The Rose, You’ll Never Walk Alone (soloist Roger Bartlett), Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi (soloist Tony Hosemans) and the Rutter arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In. Faleiry rehearsed the eager audience several times in their final choruses and so the first half came to a joyful and uplifting finish.

The second half started with the famous Men of Harlech followed by All Through the Night with tenor soloist Gordon Parsons.  Roger came back on the mellifluous Homeward Bound before a small anvil was manoeuvred on stage by ‘blacksmith’ Col Evans to accompany the choir in the Anvil Chorus, sung in Italian.

Versatile compère Bob was next with a stunning performance of A Prince Among Men.  Adding to the mining theme, Tom Morgan told the heartbreaking tale of a Working Man backed up by the choir.

This was followed by John Hales and Geoff Serpell’s first public performance of the witty Agony by Stephen Sondheim from his show Into the Woods.

Hard-working Geoff stayed on stage and was joined by Drew to launch into the modern arrangement of Waltzing Matilda, the final chorus of which found a section of the choir also singing the Welsh National Anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) at the same time.

Then it was time for Drew to perform the spirited Spanish Lady with castanets and flamenco by Geoff Roberts and enthusiastic clapping by choir and patrons alike. After the final Olé the choir was thanked by Helen, of the organising committee, and then the choir surrounded the audience to sing its farewells with the haunting Sunset Poem – a beautiful ending to an afternoon’s shared musical journey.

Audience comments included:

• Lovely variety. Loved it all, especially the Welsh mining songs. Thank you.
  
• A great afternoon's entertainment. Hope you come back again. Margaret
• Super!! Come again, please. Fay
• Very good. RuthA
  
• Superb afternoon's entertainment enjoyed by both audience and performers. Thank you. Roger
• It was wonderful. Margery
• A very entertaining concert, well balanced performance with humour to break the fine singing that was presented.
• Once again a enjoyable afternoon of being entertained by this wonderful Choir, with their diverse range of musical pieces, and by guest artist David Hobson, with his melodious tenor voice and outstanding stage presence. Kudos as always to Musical Director, Faleiry Koczkar, and piano accompanist, Lorna Ogilvie.   Maureen

Continuing the opera theme, the choir boldly sang the Soldiers’ Chorus from Gounod’s Faust and then switched into Italian for the Anvil Chorus from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, complete with Col “Blacksmith” Evans on anvil. Linguistic dexterity continued with David leading the choir in the French March of the Toreadors from Bizet’s Carmen with Faleiry encouraging patrons to join in with the chorus. From French/Spanish bull fighters, it was no musical stretch at all for David to grab his guitar to tell the spirited tale of the Spanish Lady roaming around Dublin’s fair city. Choristers (some with castanets) and audience alike had great fun combining on enthusiastic but synchronised clapping right up to the final Olé!

Right after interval, David came on holding a mysterious striped plastic bag. Observing that the choir is made up of men from a remarkable diversity of backgrounds and careers, he proceeded to empty the contents to reveal his personal collection of vintage Jethro Tull LPs and asked our John Evans, ex-keyboard player for that UK group, to step forward and join him. After a bit of banter, David was very pleased to get John to autograph one of his records.

David spoke a little about his own start in a band and, accompanying himself on piano, sang one of his own compositions Tomorrow, Tomorrow.

Gearing up once again with the Welsh language, David’s soaring tenor voice led the choir on Ar Hyd Y Nos (All Through the Night) and on the welcoming song Unwaith Eto’n ‘Nghymru Annwyl (Once Again in Dear Wales) which we had sung with him on last Friday’s ABC 774 radio show The Friday Revue.

Drew explained the background to the two Paul Jarman songs before we emotionally engaged with the wonderfully nostalgic Land of My Song with fine solos by bass Bob Ash and tenor Geoff Roberts. This was followed by the confronting tale of Aboriginal guerrilla fighter Pemulwuy with its war cries and co-ordinated clapstick work from choristers.

David came back on stage to deliver the nationalistic Anthem from Chess followed by the lovely If I Loved You. Referencing another musical, David’s magnificent tones filled the hall with the assertive I Don Quixote from Man of La Mancha. After sustained applause, David nimbly changed continents once again to stride the stage with a suitably dramatic tour de force on Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat, backed up by the choir Guys if not the Dolls.

With this great flourishing finish, the whole theatre gave David a cacophonous and heartfelt acclamation for his star performance this afternoon.

The choir’s finale was the iconic medley from Les Misérables with a lovely sympathetic solo from Rushan Hewawasam on I Dreamed a Dream. The musical’s showcase solo Bring Him Home was exquisitely and sensitively sung by David alone to huge applause. The choir finished with the rousing chorus and David, Rushan and the choir were generously and noisily acknowledged.

There only remained the intricate and clever pairing of the Welsh National Anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) with Waltzing Matilda and this epic and wonderfully musical afternoon came to a fitting end.

• Thank you for the tickets to today's spine tingling concert. Ann
• Thank you for a great afternoon’s entertainment. My friends and I appreciated the venue ie. Recital Hall and great acoustics.
• Your concert this afternoon was delightful! A perfect mix of traditional and Welsh favourites, operas, casual favourites and classic  musical theatre. Congratulations to all involved – we thoroughly  enjoyed it. The afternoon time slot was great for this time of year and the smooth flowing program perfect for the audience dominated by older citizens. David Hobson was the perfect guest – he is relaxed, charming without being patronising, and a musical and entertaining delight.
• I particularly enjoyed the traditional Welsh songs. However, I enjoyed Pemulwuy very much.
• With Welsh heritage I love any song especially sung in that language. Hwyl fawr.Love hearing any solo voices, loved David Hobson’s humour.Just loved recital centre concert today and wanting more!!  Judy
• We have been fortunate to attend many concerts and hymn singing afternoons. We appreciate the opportunity to attend afternoon performances as it has become difficult to go out at night.
• This afternoon’s version of “Les Misérables” was far superior to previous versions. Always great entertainment & I just love men singing Welsh songs – they transport me.
• The pianist was excellent.
• It was a very relaxed, enjoyable, fun afternoon but also very professional – thank you.
• What a wonderful choice of songs by both parties.
• It would be wonderful if you could perform here on the Mornington Peninsula.
• Admired the discipline, precision and diction of the choir, and of course the beautiful sound. Good compere- brief and to the point.    Isabel
• Great day. Choir excellent. Venue great, 1st time there, would go again.
• The comperes are also well worth applauding, always humorous but appropriate.
• 1st time in the Hall and concert but it won’t be the last. Lovely afternoon!
• A great mix of awesome singing, culture, humour and Australiana!
• Thoroughly enjoyed the concert on Sunday.
• Absolutely beautiful afternoon’s entertainment. I adore David Hobson.
  

Before the first half’s closing number, Faleiry rehearsed the capacity audience (three times) in the final choruses of the rousing Rutter arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In. When the time came, the effect was so good everybody had to repeat it before a well-earned interval.

The well known cartoonist Michael Leunig delivered the address. This was followed by the choir’s last piece, Sunset Poem from Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, sung to Troyte’s Chant. Then followed congregational singing of Bryn Calfaria and Hyfrydol, and the final Benediction and psalm.

Following the service, wine and cheese was served in the adjacent hall, and chorister Roger Bartlett entertained those present by leading an impromptu version of Calon Lân.

Afterwards Faleiry received the following message from the Vicar, Father Hugh Kempster:

"Dear Fal, Diolch yn fawr!  It was such a joyful evening, from the formalities in church to the spontaneous singing over supper.  Please pass on my sincere thanks to all those who sang; we were blessed!  Warmest regards, Hugh."

Next up was bass-baritone Roger Bartlett who showcased his amazing vocal range on Let Me Fall.

Speed Your Journey or the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco was next before a master class of singing and comic timing from tenor John Hales and bass Geoff Serpell with Ah Still Suits Me from the 1936 musical Show Boat.

In an impromptu step away from the program, Faleiry wondered how many patrons had heard Welsh actor Owen Teale sing Calon Lân (A Pure Heart) in the recent ABC series Pulse. After a moment’s hesitation from accompanist and choir alike, we sang the first verse and chorus of this iconic Welsh tune.

Then it was into the dramatic finale with the Les Mis medley with marvellous solos from Roger Bartlett and Rushan.

To end on a Welsh-Australian, we sang the final choruses of Waltzing Matilda with the Welsh National Anthem overlaid by half the choir.

We left the stage to the strains of Men of Harlech before surrounding the very appreciative audience and singing our farewells with Sunset Poem.

Audience feedback included:

• Just a wonderful perfect concert. Mary
• Enjoyable and very polished performance. Graeme
• A real joy to hear every word.
  
• Thanks for the memories of my mother (Welsh born), North Balwyn . Betty
  

As the lights came up the choir was revealed to sing their opening number What Would I Do Without My Music. Compère Drew Hopkins then welcomed the capacity audience before local member Nigel McGuckian spoke in the local language as an acknowledgment to country which translated as ‘I honour the wisdom of the Dja Dja Wurrung. We will speak words of truth and listen to your wisdom.’

Faleiry led the choir, accompanied by our legendary pianist Lorna Ogilvie, in an opening Welsh bracket of Blaenwern, Y Tangnefeddwyr (The Peacemakers), Yfory  (Tomorrow) with a haunting flute solo by Nigel and the well-known Cwm Rhondda with patrons eagerly joining in with the final Songs of Praises chorus.

Then the star of the concert came on stage, opening with the iconic You Raise Me Up before a change of pace with a beautifully modulated Memories from Cats. With her accompanist, the musical polymath David Cameron, Silvie then showcased her extraordinary range in a Rodgers and Hart medley. Love was in the air and the whole theatre fell under Silvie’s spell.

Silvie then stayed on stage to lead the choir in the rousing You’ll Never Walk Alone before exiting to more sustained applause.

Lovelorn choristers next launched into a sensitive rendition of The Rose which led into the special arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In topped by the pre-rehearsed audience lustily singing (and repeating) the final choruses.

After interval, Terry Dalwood from Rotary spoke feelingly about Peter Ryall’s crucial role in helping to organise the initial concert two years ago. His cousin Keith said Peter’s suicide had touched many but his estate had now donated $30,000 to Lifeline through Terry. Terry then introduced two benefactors of Rotary scholarships for Bendigo Senior Secondary School students. The 2015 winner Aidan Purdy brilliantly showed the amazing versatility of the tuba in a very modern piece entitled Sonate en 6 minutes 30 by Claude Pascal.

He was followed by the 2016 winner soprano Deanna Jerman in another modern number I’ll Be Here from the musical Ordinary Days. Her bravura performance of this technically challenging and bitter-sweet song was justly rewarded by heartfelt applause.

Then it was time for the Bendigo branch of the choir to come on stage and surround their talented accompanist Liz Paton (she is also the choir’s organist) on the 1935 Cole Porter classic Begin the Beguine complete with some spirited, but very cool, percussion by some of the group.

Compère Drew followed this by mentioning that Peter Ryall’s estate had also donated a portable piano to the group to be used in their rehearsal spaces. Although an established and thriving chapter, they are always looking for new members.

She then invited everyone to sing along with her on It’s a Wonderful World – and patrons and choristers alike were happy to do so. Then on to the Dalla masterpiece Caruso, full of passion and love and superb singing which gave everybody goose bumps, such was its vocal and emotive power.

Multilingual Silvie then added Welsh to her repertoire with her pure soprano voice on the first verse of the a capella lullaby Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi which the choir, after an imperceptible change of key, completed.

Drew gave the background for the next two Paul Jarman songs, the first of which was specially commissioned by VicWelsh. Bendigonians John Adams and Garry Salisbury skilfully and confidently made their voices reverberate throughout the auditorium in Land of my Song. This was followed by the iconic and contrasting Pemulwuy.

Back came Silvie to reprise her career-defining roles in the medley from Les Misérables. Sung with power and precision, she captivated the audience and tugged at the heartstrings on the hugely emotional On My Own. Roger Bartlett’s rich baritone voice added to the pathos with the sensitively delivered Bring Him Home.

The medley and Silvie simply electrified the theatre and the climax elicited thunderous applause.

As that died down, the choir took up the well-known refrain from Waltzing Matilda which then morphed into Silvie and the audience singing the English words and Faleiry and half the choir singing the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

It was a very fitting finale to the wonderful musical experience that everyone had participated in, blessed by the superb acoustics of the architectural triumph which is Ulumbarra Theatre.

Post-concert comments included:

• Good evening. I just have to drop a line to thank Silvie and the male choir for a fantastic concert. It was my husband’s birthday present and the whole concert was amazing. His day was made when Silvie sang On My Own. Thank you for making so many peoples’ lives happy. God bless you. Elaine.
• What a great performance and substantial community impacts. High-level engagement via the Rotary association and brilliant and lasting positive outputs thanks to the association with the Ulumbarra Foundation. David
• Nigel, it was a wonderful concert, it was good to have the local group do a number on its own. Your performance on the flute was excellent. You may be aware that the Ulumbarra Foundation will be a beneficiary of the concert, thanks to the goodwill of the Rotary Club of Bendigo South. Regards, Gordon

Despite a foggy morning across the peninsula and an early start, a very large crowd was eager to be seated and ready for the only choral event at the Festival.

After the traditional We’ll Keep a Welcome, we launched into our specially commissioned work Land of my Song with exemplary solos by bass Bob Ash and tenor Geoff Roberts. This was followed by the nationalistic O Gymru and Cwm Rhondda, at the end of which the audience was ready and very able to join in with the final chorus of Songs of Praises.

After exercising their voices, they were happy to listen to Roger Bartlett superbly channelling the weather with “In the quiet misty morning When the moon has gone to bed” as the lilting start to Homeward Bound.

Affirming the obvious, next was What Would I Do Without My Music before bass Geoff Serpell touched everyone’s hearts with the iconic Working Man. When the well-earned applause had died down, the choir went into the popular Gwŷr Harlech march tune with some knowledgeable patrons singing along.

Bob came back to the microphone to tip his hat to another Festival performer Eric Bogle with a marvellously sensitive rendition of Shelter.

A change of pace then with Speed Your Journey and then total deceleration into the unaccompanied Myfanwy.

Showcasing further the choir’s talented group of choristers, Geoff once again stepped forward to join with tenor John Hales, suitably frocked up, to very humorously perform the duet Ah Still Suits Me from Showboat.

As a finale, the choir became animated revolutionaries in the Les Mis medley with very fine solos from Rushan Hewawasam and Roger Bartlett.

By the resounding applause, the audience would have been happy for us to continue but our hour was quickly up.

Compèring duties were shared by Tony Davies, Stephen Pepper and Bob Ash. 

Comments included:

• Beautiful voices. Colleen
• Lovely. Loved “Les Misérables”
• A delight from first note till the last. A true pleasure. It was also refreshing to see the choir members so uniformly attired. Thank you for a wonderful performance. Tricia.
• Great. Keep it up guys. Lorraine
• Great selection of songs. Great harmonies. Wonderful performance. Dave
• Just wonderful. Missed last year. Cheryl
• Hauntedly beautiful. Maureen
• Terrific,good variety. Beautiful singing. Thanks. Lee
• Brilliant. Stephanie
• Absolutely brilliant. I’m with Geelong Sing Australia. Your choir simply perfect. Thank you. Heather
• Wonderful way to start the day. Please come back next year. Nancy
• Absolutely perfect. Janet
• Brilliant – I enjoyed it very much. Paul
• Brilliant! Great repertoire & enjoyed immensely. Gwen
• Beautiful – thank you. Su
• Thoroughly enjoyed your choir. Closed my eyes & remembered listening to my Uncle Jimsy singing in his male voice choir in Portadown N. Ireland. Eric Bogle song ✔️✔️✔️
• Beautiful harmonies. Working Man brilliant. Keep up the good work.😊
• Great concert.  Bruce
• Excellent choir. Great selection of rousing songs and very good soloist singers. Large audience is testimony to good hour's entertainment. Special mention of John Blackman choir member. Herb (Herbert Picker, Mayor of Portarlington.)

Harmony Workshop at St John’s Church 1.00-2.00 pm Sunday

Having set up a screen and a projector linked to a computer, we were joined by about twenty-five participants which nicely balanced the number of choristers. Faleiry’s extensive teaching experience came to the fore as she quickly established the not inconsiderable musical nous of the visitors. With nimble work on the keyboard by our equally experienced educator Lorna, we were all put through the rudiments of building up chords, note by note, with examples taken from Canon in D, The Rose, Working Man (Bob Ash), culminating in the very appropriate Sunset Poem.  The hour went very quickly and much was achieved in that short time.

Comments included:

• Most interesting music lesson/demonstration. Mary-Terese
• Thanks choir, good to sit in with you and 'play'. St John's was a good venue for workshop. Lyn
• Well done Faleiry! People do love to sing so unlocking them to harmony is a great thing. The guys sounded great in this little church.
• Lots of fun and very rewarding. Great to be part of creating such beautiful music. Veronica
• That was so great - an honour to learn the basics with such accomplished singers. Conductor pitched the session perfectly for we novices! Maria
• Thank you for sharing the magic of male singers. Well done. :-) Bob
• Loved 'the Rose' by the choir. Am not a singer, but enjoyed learning how a harmony works in parts. Pauline

Concert at St Patrick’s Church 5.00-6.00 pm Sunday

A smaller venue than Parks Hall but the acoustics were better and, being away from the main festivities, we were not troubled by extraneous and competing sounds.

Compère Tony Davies introduced the first bracket of We’ll Keep a Welcome, O Gymru and Cwm Rhondda, again with audience participation, followed by What Would I Do Without My Music.

Alex van Mens then came to the front and brought his rich baritone voice to perform the popular Welsh tune Dafydd Y Garreg Wen.

Second compère Stephen Pepper took over the mike to give the audience a lesson in Welsh pronunciation using the well-known LlanfairPG village name. Education mixed with humour was a great hit with the assembled company as affirmed by the prolonged applause.

Equally well-received was the next number, Working Man, this time magnificently led by Bob Ash. The choir then stood and delivered Gwŷr Harlech before ceding the stage to Roger Bartlett with his well-honed Homeward Bound.

With the allotted concert time rapidly eroding, the choir nonetheless kept perfect time on Speed Your Journey before proving, once again, we could sing without music and accompaniment with Myfanwy. However, there was no time to linger over lost love as we quickly coalesced into the impoverished mob in the Les Mis medley with heart-wrenching solos from Rushan and Roger.

The pent-up emotion and the thrilling words made their musical mark on the marvellous audience with several leaping to their feet and leading the sustained applause. As our final appearance at the Festival, we finished off with the equally stirring Welsh National Anthem, Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. The audience didn’t want to leave and neither did we so we smartly stepped down from the stage to surround them all and to give our thanks to them with the beautiful parting words of Sunset Poem.

Comments included:

• Magnificent and moving. Best hour of my week here.
• Hiraeth. Sublime, patriotic songs!! Inimitable rich harmonies which only the Welsh can make. Shane
• Very enjoyable – liked the introductions/stories/jokes & the learning of the Welsh town name. Thought the venue was good – suited the choir. Lovely singing & music. Fiona
• Excellent performance, thoroughly enjoyed. Professional, great organisation & a great sense of warmth & humour. Owen
• Very good singing. Enjoyed the stories with the songs – a very useful part of total performance.
• Great! More unaccompanied. Last song gave goose-bumps. Alison
• Beautiful singing – as always! The final blessing was particularly moving. Elizabeth
• Amazing! So stirring & spine-tingling. Loved the ending being surrounded by the choir.

The Gathering in the main area beside Parks Hall 6.30 pm Sunday

We had thought that was our last farewell but we were invited to go down the hill to join the procession from the Rotunda to the tent area where we were asked to once again sing our farewells with Sunset Poem. It was a lovely and fitting moment, to say our last goodbyes to so many of the marvellously musical Festival patrons.

From the Valleys to the Hills was the name of our Sunday afternoon concert at the very well-appointed Burrinja Theatre in Upwey. After the introductory number What Would I Do Without My Music, compère Tony Davies made the point that Victoria Welsh Choir not only performs all over the state but our choristers come from as far north as Echuca and as far south as Mt Martha. The choir’s very active Bendigo branch was well-represented and we even had one member who had journeyed from our fledgling Ballarat outpost by train.

 The patriotic O Gymru was followed by the iconic Working Man, introduced and energetically sung by bass Geoff Serpell, to much acclaim. Blaenwern (Love Divine) was next before the popular Cwm Rhondda. Faleiry coaxed the audience into joining in with the choruses, which they were happy and eager to do.

Our guest artists, the nine-piece Skylarks (the resident house band at the centre) then showcased to the patrons and the choir, their musical diversity with precision playing on Come to Mama, Nature Boy, Old-fashioned Morphine and Get Up, Stand Up, fronted by silky vocalists Snowy and Neesy.

The next choral bracket started with Speed Your Journey from Nabucco and then I’se Weary of Waitin’ with a solo by Bob Ash, drawing on his impressive bass-baritone range. The choir’s own commissioned work Land of my Song featured soloists John Adams from Bendigo and local Upwey chorister Geoff Roberts, who had been instrumental in much of the organisation of the concert. Paul Jarman’s famous but difficult work Pemulwuy was then sung with heartfelt gusto by the choir to finish off the first half.

After interval, the choir launched straight into Men of Harlech in Welsh before the audience joined in once again with the English words printed in the program.

To start off what was loosely described as a British medley, tenor Ed Hughes first pulled at our heartstrings with Danny Boy before Barry McMahon confidently asked us to help him pull up Wild Mountain Thyme. After all that exertion, it was time to put the baby to sleep with the a capella Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi. Then it was time to wake up again with the very lively Britten arrangement of Oliver Cromwell, with the slightly uncharitable and cheeky exhortation to the audience to ‘Sing it yourself!’

The Skylarks (ehedyddion in Welsh) came back for their second bracket and livened up proceedings even more with Jeepers Creepers, Stronger than Me, All About That Bass and the nostalgic Love Potion No. 9, all featuring strong solos by individual musicians.

As the finale, the choir reactivated the Paris Uprising of 1832 with a medley from Les Misérables, featuring sensitive solos from Rushan Hewawasam and Roger Bartlett. As the final words rang out and the red revolutionary flag was waved, there was huge applause from the whole audience. After taking our bows we marched off to Men of Harlech while executing some nimble pincer movements so that first tenors and basses lined up to one side of the audience with the other two sections on the opposite side, to sing our Sunset Poem as a fond farewell. The afternoon’s musical journey was complete.

After the show, in The Skylarks Lounge, where the band had just racked up 12 months, the choir was pleased to sing Penblwydd Hapus (Happy Birthday) to them in Welsh.

The choir journeyed down the Great Ocean Road on 7 May for a Sunday afternoon concert at the Community Hall, to raise funds for the local Red Cross.

The show’s opener was What Would I Do Without My Music before a Welsh medley of We’ll Keep a Welcome (warmly sung by soloist Barry McMahon), Hymns and Arias, Calon Lân, Sospan Bach and Cwm Rhondda with the very musical audience happy to join in on the last chorus.  Ambrose Morgan then told the humorous tale of an unlucky band of Welsh rugby supporters, to great acclaim. We don’t think they ever did make it to Warrnambool, to see whales play!

In our love bracket, patrons were treated to The Rose, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Si Hei Lwli ‘Mabi and the poignant Y Tangnefeddwyr (The Peacemakers).

Bass-baritone Roger Bartlett next stepped up to showcase his powerful vocal range with a solo performance of Let Me Fall, from Cirque du Soleil’s 20^th anniversary show.

Picking ourselves up, the choir launched into Speed Your Journey and then finished the first half with Battle Hymn of The Republic, complete with lovely piccolo accompaniment by Nigel McGuckian and lusty audience participation in the final chorus. Lucky patrons near the piano were able to see close up, on both these demanding numbers, the flying fingers of our wonderful accompanist Lorna Ogilvie.

After an intake of ozone, we came back as the beleaguered Men of Harlech with the audience keen to once again join in with the English verse.

Versatile compère Drew Hopkins then described how the choir had commissioned Paul Jarman to write Land of My Song, using choristers’ own writings as inspiration, before the choir sang this very special work, with sensitive solos by Bob Ash and tenor Geoff Roberts.  This was followed by the stirring tale of an Aboriginal guerrilla fighter, Pemulwuy, also composed by Paul.

From open warfare to domestic upset was next with seasoned performers, tenor John Hales and bass Geoff Serpell, marvellously combining on the very funny Ah Still Suits Me from the musical Showboat.  Then we were on to more serious matters with the much-loved medley from Les Misérables, featuring the choir and solos by Roger. After sustained applause, we then presented a special arrangement of Waltzing Matilda sung by the choir and marvellous duettists Drew and Graeme Sanderson.

 After an official thank you by the Red Cross’s President, we came off-stage to surround the audience and say our goodbyes with the haunting Sunset Poem.