Last Hunter Baillie Spring Concert

The last of the Hunter Baillie Spring Festival Concert Series is
Sunday, 22 November 2009 with The Song Company under the direction of Roland Peelman.Vocal music from the ensemble's eclectic repertoire will include Benjamin Britten's Hymn to St Cecilia. Britten was born on St. Cecilia's Day, 22 November (the day of the concert). There are free pre-concert drinks under the trees and a $5 post concert afternoon tea in the church hall.

Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, 30 November, Sydney

The 2008 Spring Festival of Music Concert Series in Annandale (Sydney), continues next weekend with the Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, 30 November at 3pm. Tickets can be booked.

The last concerts for 2009 at the Hunter Baillie Church will be Kirsten Williams, violin & Jane Rosenson, harp: Bach, Elgar, Kreisler, Saint-Saens, Westlake and Gershwin, 7 December.

Annandale 2008 Spring Festival of Music

The 2008 Spring Festival of Music Concert Series in Annandale (Sydney), commences today at 3pm. Tickets for the later concerts can be booked. All concerts are on Sundays at the at the Hunter Baillie Church:

1. Sunrise String Quartet: Dvorak & Haydn, 21 September.
2. The Song Company, cappella ensemble, 12 October.
3. Leichhardt Espresso Chorus, 30 November.
4. Kirsten Williams, violin & Jane Rosenson, harp: Bach, Elgar, Kreisler, Saint-Saens, Westlake and Gershwin, 7 December.

Waltzing Matilda

On Sunday the Song Company six person vocal ensemble performed at the Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church, Annandale, Sydney. They started with medieval music and moved up to the present day, then for a finale sang Australia's unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda in four languages: English, French, German, and Queenslander. They will be featuring this in a Songs of Oz series of concerts in 2008.

Some samples of their music are free online, CDs can be purchased direct from the Song Company, and some music is available from Amazon.com.

Cliff Hardy to Newtown?

Peter Corris' novel "Saving Billie" has his detective Cliff Hardy moving office to Newtown in Sydney, having found Kings Cross too gentrified. Perhaps Mr. Corris might like to set a story around the New Theatre. This has a rich history of involvement in left wing union politics and a cast of actors from TV soap operas.

Another spot would be the Hunter Baillie Church in Annandale. They run spring concerts with people who might be straight out of one of an English detective novel set in a village.

Songs for Spring in Sydney

On Sunday I attended the first of the 2006 Spring Festival of Music Concert Series at the Hunter Baillie Church in Annandale (Sydney).

The setting, with the church spire, spring flowering trees and cucumber sandwiches in the church hall, was very much like something from a fictional English village, depicted in TV shows such as Midsomer Murders. The concerts are run to aid the church organ fund and the vicar will tell you the roof is in need of repair.

The first concert was by the The Song Company. They performed several of the works from their new CD "As a Lily". You can try the sample of "SICUT LILIUM" by Antonio Brumel (c.1460 - c.1515).

The church music got a little tiring after a while and was relieved by the very secular "Bat's Ultrasound" with words by Les Murray and music by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen.

The performance ended on a whimsical "Waltzing Matilda" sung in French and German. I have suggested they might like to try the 'Queensland version'.

The Song Company is shortly off for a performance in China. Perhaps the Beijing 2008 Olympics should invite them to perform.

Coming up in the Spring Festival are:

• Sunday 29 October: Pastor de Lasala, organ with Linda Lorenza, soprano
• Sunday 26 November: Catherine Lukin, soprano with Brendon Lukin, organ and John Kellaway, trumpet