By TANIA PHILLIPS
MONTHS of preparation and fund-raising have paid off for a Tweed/Coolangatta based acappella choir who have just returned from an international choir competition with a swag of silver.
The Voice Weavers finished second in the “folklore” and “mixed choir” categories at the third International Choir Competition in Hoi An Vietnam last month.
The 30 members of the group had been pretty relaxed waiting for the results of the competition to be announced.
They had travelled to Vietnam mainly to perform and learn from very experienced choirs from America, Indonesia and several other countries.
And then the announcements were made at the awards ceremony. Silver – in both categories!
They nearly fell off their seats. Their musical director, Brett Logan, was beaming up on stage as he was handed the framed certificate and shiny trophy.
Brett was delighted with the choir’s success, though he says now he always knew they had it in them!
“The choir had worked very hard in the lead-up to the competition,” Brett said.
“I threw all sorts of things at them – challenging arrangements, tricky choreography, and a lot of notes and lyrics to memorise in a short space of time. They rose to the challenge, and I was so pleased that the majority of Voice Weavers were able to travel and enjoy the experience.”
The trip was not without its hiccups – on the very first day in Hoi An, the 20 members who had already arrived for the competition received a phone call saying that the remaining 10 members of the group were stranded in central Vietnam after their flight had been cancelled. And there were no other flights available.
Luckily, they were able to charter a rickety bus and travel through the night to arrive in time for the first competition performance the next day.
“Unfortunately a third of the choir missed the competition’s opening concert but their fellow choristers did them proud and didn’t let it faze them,” Brett said.
“And the next day the judges would have been completely unaware of the challenges faced by the choir – they acted like true professionals.”
The choir members said the German festival organisers, Interkultur, and their efficient and helpful Vietnam counterparts, did a great job with the competition and related activities such as the outdoor concerts, al fresco dinner and street parade.
