Christmas with the National Boys Choir of Australia at Hamer Hall is always a much anticipated event among our busy Christmas program of activities. Last year’s performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria was also a reflection of the hard work and dedication that the three Choirs, plus the Old Boys choir and staff, put in during preparations and rehearsals.
The Elementary and Junior choirs provided a colourful opening to the concert programme, before the Performing choir presented Gloria alongside soloists Ayşe Göknur Shanal and Sally-Anne Russell. As noted by Philip Carmody in the programme notes, Vivaldi’s strong musical personality is behind the appeal of his works. Gloria is no exception and the NBCA’s performance received high praise from guests at a post-concert function. Traditional Christmas carols featured in the second half alongside other festive works.
In addition, the NBCA Christmas Concert is a favourite family affair and we were excited to host three brothers performing across three separate choirs in the one performance! Zac was in the Junior Choir, Christopher in the Performing Choir and Alex returned for a sing as an Old Boy. It’s a rarity to see, and we love welcoming members of our families back into the fold for such a special occasion.
Congratulations to everyone involved – NBCA staff, compere Jason Cameron, families, volunteers, extended family members, our admirable choirs and splendid orchestra.
In the spirit of concert preparations, Kerrie Handasyde and her daughter (family to Performing chorister Aidan Maher) prepared two amazing chocolate cakes to share at the last studio rehearsal. They were iced and decorated by hand with our logo and concert flyer artwork!
Hand decorated cake by the Handasyde Family
If you missed the NBCA Christmas Concert, you can view a very quick time-lapse video of the Concert below.