“Whiskered Dreams” – Woden Valley Youth Choir, Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, August 7 and 8. Reviewed by CLINTON WHITE.

CATS and their whiskers and young men only able to sport moustaches (in this case, the stick-on variety) were the humorous highlights of this aptly-named concert of the Woden Valley Youth Choir.

That the choir should still be going strong after more than half a century must have been beyond the wildest dreams of the young 30-something Don Whitbread when he founded it in 1969, and perhaps even the dreams of his successor in 1997, Alpha Gregory, who led the choir for another 20 years. Between the two, they have given the people of Canberra a magnificent legacy. And what an amazing music education program and enviable performance opportunities, both domestically and abroad, the choir has given to countless young people over that half century.

Today the choir boasts five ensembles aimed at young people aged from seven to 22, including one ensemble, Centauri Voices, for young men, and another, Spectra Vocal Ensemble, the senior extension ensemble. All those groups are supported by three vibrant young conductors, three accompanists and a team of others, all of whom keep the choir fresh and appealing to young people wanting to sing.

In this, their 52nd annual concert, each ensemble featured either alone or in combination with others in a highly entertaining and wide-ranging concert, including foreign-language songs, some quite jazzy numbers, quite a few a capella works and middle-of-the-road songs. As has occurred since the very earliest days of the Woden Valley Youth Choir, the concert concluded with all ensembles coming together for the choir’s signature song, “Let There be Peace on Earth”.

The hallmarks of the entire program of 23 songs, all sung from memory, regardless of the ages of the singers, were the pure harmonies, the lovely tonal balance underscored by the “innocence” of young voices, the nicely executed dynamics, and the sheer enjoyment of singing that these young people exuded in spades to their audience.

In songs that demanded movement, it came quite naturally with thoughtful choreography. Even the stage entries and exits and changing on-stage positions were seamless. Sometimes the piano accompaniment overpowered the singers, especially in the case of the youngest group, the Nova Singers. Another volume issue was in “Što Mi E Milo”, a traditional Macedonian song performed a Capella by Australis Voices and Centauri Voices together, when a hand drum, played throughout the song, was too loud, rather detracting from the otherwise quite expansive sound the ensembles created when they were spread around the front part of
the audience. In another a capella song, “La Lluvia” (The Rain), by Stephen Hatfield, the Spectra Vocal Ensemble struggled to maintain pitch and fluidity in the multiple parts and wide note intervals.

But these were tiny issues that did not detract from the overall enjoyment of this concert. Songs like “If You’ve Only Got a Moustache” (Centauri Voices) had the audience guffawing. When Australis Voices sang “Too Many Cats” an amusingly clever bit of choreography had the Nova Voices crawling around the legs of the singers, only to assume the stage for their own performance of “Kitty Cat Boogie” – and didn’t those seven to 10-year-olds boogie!

It was good also to see some local composers represented in the program. Dan Walker’s “Phonograph”, with its high notes and extensive expression markings, got an assured performance from Australis Voices, and Stephen Leek’s “The Seagull” from Nova Voices sounded so real I wondered where the chip was!

This was a well-crafted, friendly and relaxed concert. Its entertainment value was high and well-deserving of the sustained applause given to these fine young singers and their mentors.

Canberra should be very proud indeed of what has been and what is being achieved by the Woden Valley Youth Choir.