St Mark’s Anglican Community School choir members.
Camera IconSt Mark’s Anglican Community School choir members. Credit: Supplied/Martin Kennealey        www.communitypix.com.au d445767

St Mark’s choir hitting all the right notes

Lauren PedenWanneroo Times

The school’s singers won a number of prizes in the September North of Perth Music Festival.

Its specialist choir True Voices won the GJ Waters Shield for Best Senior Choir (Open) and the Secondary School Choir the Festival Shield for Best High School Choir, giving both a chance to perform in the recent winners concerts.

True Voices sang Isn’t She Lovely in acapella and the Irish Blessing at the Senior Winners Concert on October 23 and were awarded the People’s Choice Award Trophy and $200 for the school.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The Secondary School Choir took to the stage for the Junior Winners Concert the following night to perform Baba Yetu (the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili) and an acapella version of Happy Together.

They too won the People’s Choice Award and $100 for the school as well as the Overall Outstanding Junior Performance trophy and another $200.

“Each choir rehearses once a week before school and focuses on a range of performance techniques including breath control, vocal production, physical movement and facial expressions,” choir director Kristy Raymond said.

“They have also been working on creating more energy in their performances and smiling as they sing.

“The choirs sing a mixture of sacred and secular music, including arrangements of popular songs, and we try to give the students a wide variety to keep them interested. A number of the singers are also learning instruments, and others participate in curriculum-based music programs. The extra training and expertise that these students bring to the choir allows us to work on a more challenging repertoire.”

Mrs Raymond said the students genuinely enjoyed singing and performing for others and had worked hard on communicating that joy to the audience.

“When the musical quality at a competition is of a high standard, that connection to the audience can be the difference between first and second, and that was something that the adjudicators commented on throughout the competition,” she said.

She said members of True Voices performed at a recent City of Joondalup prayer breakfast.

“Both choirs are also preparing for the speech night event that caps off each year,” she said.

“There are a number of events already lined up for the new year including joining with other singers from schools within the Anglican Schools Commission community to perform at the Perth Concert Hall.”