FIRST PLACE WIN at The Australian National Eisteddfod in Canberra
In August 2017, the Vocalocity Vocal Ensemble piled into two cars bound for Canberra for two nights along with my tremendously fabulous fellow BMus graduate (and very brave!) friend, Megan.
After six months of intense rehearsals and fundraising efforts, on Saturday the 19th of August the day had finally arrived - we were ready to participate in The Australian Choral Challenge - Open Group! The spirit in the warm up room backstage was palpable. There seemed to be an energy pulsating through the group as it dawned on everyone that this was the moment we'd been working for. I was so proud and impressed when instead of me giving my usual little pep talk, it was our singers who were lifting each others' spirits with mutual encouragement to go out there and do their very best, which is all any teacher can ask for!
When we stepped out on that stage, it was just magic. Everyone was so in sync, banding together with a sheer determination to just give it our all and leave nothing behind. The audience was right there with us, and everyone who had helped along the way were with us in spirit as we radiated our motto of "Fun! Fabulous! & Flair" in true Vocalocity style. We sang our hearts out.
We were very happy with how it all went and we all agreed afterwards that it was the best performance we'd ever done. Then came the big win, which was just icing on the cake! We were all in shock and disbelief at the announcement - I literally fell off my chair and had a ringing in my ear from Madi's scream! It meant so much to all of us in terms of the realisations it brought. It gave our singers the confidence to realise just how good they are and it gave me the professional validation that I must really be doing something right.
Something very special happened that day. The win was amazing, but what was even more amazing was the fire and the joy I saw light up within our singers on that stage. It's a moment I'll never forget. I will however try to forget the embarrassing moment when I cried into the lovely adjudicator's hair!
