Macquarie Male Singers choir needs some community support

At times, membership has grown to as many as 35, but with the enforced layoff imposed by COVID, some members moving away for work and some for retirement, numbers are currently around 12 singers, and more voices are needed to ensure good depth and spread of sound.

Numbers above 25 would be ideal for the sound the group likes to produce.

This is a great opportunity to try something many local men may not have thought of before.

"As most of the songs we perform are written at least partly in four-part harmony, it is ideal to have at least six singers in each of the four sections, to give depth and balance," Roland said.

Just at present, he says the group is quite short of bass voices, so, while the group would welcome any and all new voices, it would be great to have some new basses come to have a look at what the group does.

IN OTHER NEWS AROUND BATHURST:

Over the years, the choir has performed at many public functions in Bathurst, such as those held on Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Australia Day, as well as performing concerts in local nursing homes, and in surrounding towns and villages on occasions.

The choir has even sung in Parliament House in Canberra and at the National War Memorial.

Just recently, though, the choir felt compelled to withdraw from an engagement at Rockley due to lack of numbers and an unbalanced sound.

This has prompted the members to ask the community for some practical support in the way of new (or old!) voices.

It is not necessary to be a trained singer to enjoy the camaraderie that singing with a group brings.

Apart from the surprising physical exercise of learning to control breathing and hold notes for a time, there are also significant mental health benefits obtained from singing, especially in group situations.

The choir rehearses almost every Tuesday night of the year at the Assumption School Hall, starting at 7.30pm and finishing at 9pm, followed by a cup of tea or coffee and a talk with each other.

The choir usually takes a break during January due to people being away on holidays, and also in July to miss the worst of the winter weather.

Members travel from surrounding towns such as Oberon, Blayney and Orange because they enjoy the activities of the group, which usually include a dinner with partners once or twice a year.

The choir members are usually accompanied in their singing by the Bialowas brothers, Henry and Richard, on double bass and guitar, together with Marianne Hearne on the piano, and the choir often features local singer Kathy Powell as a guest artist.

The repertoire is wide ranging and features songs from musicals, ballads, classics, and some recent releases, but members always enjoy songs that people know and with which they are inclined to sing along.

All the arrangements for the singers and musicians are written especially for the choir by Roland, and he also arranges many songs to suit the solo voices of some of the members.

Any male member of the community, young or old, is therefore invited to contact any member of the choir for more information or to arrange to have a look at how the members rehearse and perform.

In particular, people could contact John Kendall on 0427 410 625 or Greg Madden on 0417 048 248.