Winner – Michaela Collingwood Choral Award

Throughout the long history of the Royal Schools Music Club, choirs and singing groups have often appeared in its concerts, although not so frequently in recent years.

For a time in the 1930s the Club even had its own choir.  But this was its inaugural choral competition, presented as a special centenary event and made possible by a generous bequest from well-loved member Michaela Collingwood.

The six finalists provided plenty of variety in numbers, musical styles ranging from sacred classical to popular and barbershop, presentation methods and even contrasting uniforms.  The choirs managed to generate increasing enthusiasm from the capacity audience, so much so that the afternoon seemed to turn into more of a choral festival than a competition.

A competition it was, however, for amateur choirs with unpaid singers. One rule was that they each had to present at least one item a cappella, and in fact only two of the twelve songs were given with keyboard accompaniment. And only one was in a language other than English, which no doubt enhanced the audience’s enjoyment.

Adjudicator Margaret Pride made some instructive comments – laced with plenty of humorous asides – about such matters as style appropriate to the piece, diphthongs and vowels, singers’ eyes, conductors’ hands, and spacing of the singers.

She awarded first prize to the all-female harmony chorus, A Cappella West, directed by Joanne Oosterhoff.  Their engagement with the audience was superb, with coordinated movement highlighted by a slick costume change during their second item.

Second prize went to the smallest choir, The UWA Choral Collective, directed by Daniel van der Moezel, whose two songs were by English composers Finzi and Tavener.

Although they did not win prizes, credit for the success of the afternoon should also go to the other four choirs: Aquinas College Schola Cantorum, Perth Pride Choir, The Baden Street Singers, and Tuxedo Junction Vocal Ensemble.

John Meyer