Category Archive: Gigs

Blackheath Choir Festival 2016

Illawarra Union Singers Practicing for Blackheath gig, work-shopping songs in the garage.

Work-shopping the repertoire!

A small but dedicated group of Singers traveled to Blackheath on 27 October this year, to take part in the Blackheath Choir Festival…the third time the Illawarra Union Singers have performed there. After an unusual rehearsal in an auto workshop…! They gave a fantastic performance to a full capacity audience at the New Ivanhoe Hotel. Under the wonderful leadership of musical director Doug, and accompanied by Zlatko on guitar, they performed Bandiera Rossa, Tolpuddle Man, Bella Ciao and a rousing, audience participation rendition of 16 Tons!

doug_mairi

Pre-hydration

zlatko

Zlatko in soulful mode.

Mairi Ross and Zlatko, rehearsing at Blackheath

Mairi Ross and Zlatko, rehearsing at Blackheath.

Ross, contemplating performance strategies.

Ross, contemplating performance strategies.

 

Hiroshima Day Commemoration

The Hiroshima Day Commemoration was a very moving event. We rehearsed in the freezing cold outside David Jones.Practicing before the Hiroshima Day performance in the Wollongong Mall 6 August 2016

The choir sang Blowing in the Wind, Ode to Joy and We Shall Overcome, joined by a number of extra choristers.Illlawarra Union Singers Performance: Hiroshima Day 2016

Everyone present tied a paper crane to a memorial branch which was left in the Mall as a reminder of story of Sadako, and her 1000 paper cranes. Sadako was two years old at the time of the bombing and died at the age of 12 from leukemia she contracted as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima. Before she died, she made 1000 paper cranes; a Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish.Paper crane at Hiroshima Day Commemoration, 2016

 

Tom Uren Funeral 2015: Vale Tom Uren

On Wednesday, 4 February 2015, some members of the IUS were privileged to join the massed trade union choir which sang at the State Funeral of Labor and Union luminary, Tom Uren, in the Sydney Town Hall. The choir were invited to sing by Tom himself, who had planned his funeral 10 years earlier! As part of the moving and heartfelt ceremony, the choir sang the National Anthem, accompanied by Robert Ampt on the magnificent Town Hall organ, then later sang The Ballad of 1981, in what the Sydney Morning Herald described as “a rousing live rendition of The Ballad of 1891 (about the great shearers’ strike)…”

Judy Turner at rehearsal

Judy Turner at rehearsal

Choir members rehearsing

Choir members rehearsing

Gigs Gone By: Images and Memories

Some images from gigs gone by starting with the Nymagee (120 k’s from Cobar) concert in October 2006

General photo of Nymagee

General photo of Nymagee

Breakfast time at the humble abode

Breakfast time at the humble abode

On stage doing the gig

On stage doing the gig

 

On stage doing the gig

On stage doing the gig

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

No traffic lights on country roads

No traffic lights on country roads

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scene / seen on the way

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2007 the Illawarra Union Singers travelled to Cobargo for the Cobargo Folk Festival

 

General photo of Nymagee

General photo of Nymagee

Breakfast time at the humble abode

Breakfast time at the humble abode

On stage doing the gig

On stage doing the gig

On stage doing the gig

On stage doing the gig

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

Practice at the humble abode

No traffic lights on country roads

No traffic lights on country roads

Scene / seen on the way

Scene / seen on the way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2007 the Illawarra Union Singers travelled to the Cobargo Folk Festival

Tilba Tilba Cobargo 7 Cobargo 6 Cobargo 3 Cobargo 2

Odd shots

image005 image003 image002 image001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coaltown and La Voce

Saturday 18th April saw Illawarra Union Singers travelling to Lane Cove to combine with the La Voce Choir for the first Coaltown performance.

Songs from the Coal
Lane Cove
Coaltown was an outdoor theatre production created and performed by Sydney-based professional street theatre company, Death Defying Theatre (DDT) in 1985. Funded through the Australia Council and the ACTU’s “Art in Working Life” program, the show told a story of coal mining, unionism and the lives of mining people in Australia.
The ninety minute show featured 6 performers, 6 original songs and a 3 metre high miner.
Devised and rehearsed in Collinsville, a pit-mining town in far Nth Queensland, Coaltown was presented on football fields and public reserves in 10 coal mining communities throughout eastern Australia….and then put to bed.
In 2014 IUS, Sarah de Jong (Coaltown composer 1985) and “La Voce” choir from Lane Cove Sydney commenced a project to revive the Coaltown songs.
On 18 April 2015 at the Lane Cove Living and Learning Centre, meeting for just the second time, both choirs presented a number of their own songs, and joined to perform a set of Coaltown songs. The good crowd of over 30 enjoyed a great night of songs and a strong partnership between two choirs was established.
It was a great night.
Contributed by Michael Andrews.

Opening speech given by Kim Spinks who was a founding member of Death Defying Theatre, Sarah De Jong on left.

Opening speech given by Kim Spinks who was a founding member of Death Defying Theatre, Sarah De Jong on left also founding member and composer.

La Voce Choir doing their songs

La Voce Choir doing their songs

Sarah De Jong and Sarah Lambert (Blue Tie)

Sarah De Jong and Sarah Lambert (Blue Tie)

DSC_0215 (Medium)

Illawarra Union Singers @ Illawarra Folk Festival 2015

Illawarra Union Singers 2015 Illawarra Folk Festival gig this year consisted of a Tribute to Gough Whitlam on the Saturday with various artists performing and reminiscing about Whitlam’s life. This was finished with a performance of Its Time sung by the audience and Illawarra Union Singers who were accompanied on guitar by Arthur Rorris.
AT the Union concert on the Sunday the Illawarra Union Singers sang:
16 Tons (Merle Travis) Led by Douglas McPherson
Bandiera Rossa led by Sarah Lambert followed by another rendition of Its Time

Pete Seeger Concert

Earlier this year the man who “helped create the modern American folk music movement and co-wrote some of its most enduring songs such as “If I Had a Hammer, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” died of natural causes” Pete Seeger was his name and the Illawarra Union Singers were invited along to an Illawarra Folk Festival gig to help celebrate his life.

George Mann from New York leading the show along with Maurie Mulheron and others took turns providing a great night’s singing and history of Pete Seeger.

Mystery performers on the night were the audience and they did a good job too.

 

 

TRIPs gig

TRIPs was a Thirroul Railway Institute Preservation fund raiser for the piano the Institute has. Illawarra Union Singers started the night with a 20 min set and finished with another 20 minute set.
Songs were
Set 1
1. Tolpuddle Man
2. Shelter
3. Jacob’s Ladder Welcome
4. Banners
5. Internationale

The Zlatkos, some Bluegrass players and Sarah doing solos with a gentleman on the piano which had been tuned on the day took us up to the break.

Set 2
1. In My Shoes
2. Four Strong Women
3. 16 Tons
4. Bandiera Rossa
5. Mnogaja Ljeta


Images kindly supplied by Kerryn Stephens who has also done a nice write up and listed Sarah doing her solo performance.

Blackheath 2014

Saturday 23rd August saw the Illawarra Union Singers performing at the Ivanhoe Hotel in Blackheath as part of the Blackheath Choral Festival. Not a big room but a friendly atmosphere that really warmed up to our singing quickly. Songs were We Shall not Give Up The Fight, Tolpuddle Man, Bread and Roses, Jacob’s Four Strong Women and as Zlatko let it be known that his birthday was the following day, we had the time, an audience Mongaja Ljeta was sung to finish off a great concert enjoyed by both parties. Thanks to our blacheath_2014photographers we have an image.

Hiroshima 2014

Hiroshima
A few words from Marg Perrot, three songs from the choir and then off for breakfast for some.
Many thanks to Douglas and Katie for conducting and great work to all who showed up, songs were Ode to Joy and Last Night I Dreamed with Doug and We Shall Not Give Up The Fight with Katie.
Many thanks to Sharon Callaghan for the photos.