About Victoria Chorale

Victoria Chorale Inc. is a member of the Australian National Choral Association

Victoria Chorale was founded in October 1993 by Val J Pyers (the original founder of Melbourne Chorale). He led it until 8 January 2007 and was its first Director and Conductor. The Chorale’s current Conductor is Matthew Toogood.

The Chorale aims to present choral music at the highest possible standard to the people of Australia and of Victoria.

In particular the aims of the chorale are;

To present a diverse choral repertoire from Australia and overseas;
To contribute to the raising of the standard of choral singing within Australia;
To perform music in as many venues as possible, particularly within Victoria;
To establish a body of persons who are knowledgeable, experienced and skilled in the art of choral singing;
To provide members of the chorale and other singer with opportunities for choral performance;
To encourage the pursuit of excellence in standards of choral composition within Australia;
To provide the experience of choral performance in a not for profit environment.

Victoria Chorale at Government HouseVictoria Chorale at Government House
While the choir performs in Melbourne it regularly takes its concerts to a variety of venues in country Victoria

Conductor and Musical Director

Victoria Chorale is delighted to be singing under the direction of Matthew Toogood, one of Melbourne's most exciting young conductors. He has conducted the Heidelberg Choral Society for two years while completing a Masters of Music specialising in conducting with John Hopkins OBE. (Also a very talented pianist and tenor soloist, Matthew is a very worthy successor to Val Pyers, a visionary musician and teacher who was the founder of both the Victoria Chorale and the Melbourne chorale.)

Rehearsals

The Chorale currently rehearses once a week at the Curzon Street Uniting Church in North Melbourne at 7.30pm on a Tuesday. Occaisionally aditional rehearsals are arranged in the lead up to particular concerts especially when the choir is performing with an orchestra or another choral group.

Management

The Victoria Chorale is managed by a committee of members elected by the choir and includes our president Ken Anderson and our conductor Matthew Toogood.

Music Library

The Victoria Chorale has an extensive music library that is made available to other organisations on a fee basis.

Joining us

We are keen to hear from prospective singers and we would invite anyone thinking of joining a choir like ours to come along to one of our rehearsals at the Curzon Street Uniting Church in North Melbourne at 7.30pm on a Tuesday. Please email our musical director Matthew Toogood, matthewtoogood@gmail.com if you are thinking of singing with us.

(NB from 18th August we will be rehearsing in the church hall while the church is undergoing renovations.)

Choir Details

Voice types: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass (SATB)

Choir performs:

Both accompanied & unaccompanied

Number of Singing Members;

Currently 30-40, but can expand to up to 80 for major works

Musical Repertoire:

Particularly varied and covers Renaissance music through to 20th century works; the repertoire includes mainstream classical choral, choral arrangements of folk music, religious choral works, opera choruses, works from Australian arrangers and composers.

Victoria Chorale's past collaborations with other musical groups include:

Orchestra Victoria, Melbourne Opera Company, Melbourne Opera Orchestra, a variety of community orchestras and occasionally other choirs including the UNiversity of Melbourne Faculty of Music Choir and Monash University Choral Society.

Sample of the Choir's past Concert Venues:

BMW Edge (Federation Square);
Government House;
Melbourne Town Hall,
Northcote Town Hall,
Hawthorn Town Hall
Town halls in rural Victoria especially Daylesford Town Hall;
Cathedrals and churches including St Patrick's Cathedral (Melbourne) and Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral Wangarrata. St Georges Uniting CHurch St Kilda.

Recent performances include:

Australian premiere of Missa O Pulchritudo (Gian Carlo Menotti),
Carols from around the world,
Coronation Mass (Mozart).
Israel in Egypt (Handel),
Messiah (Handel).
Mozart Mass in C Minor (K427)
Bortniansky's Te Deum
An "Afternoon at the Proms"

The choir produces some 4 programs and gives between 5 and 15 performances each year.

Performance Apparel:

Varies depending on repertoire but is usually dinner suit, including jacket and black bow tie for men, black blouse and skirt relieved by gold or silver for women.

Joining Requirements

Minimum Attendance policy:

Rehearsals: Not currently

Concerts: Not currently

Membership Fees:

Currently there is a general rehearsal fee for each concert program of approx. $25-$60;

An overall annual membership fee is also available for those singers who wish to be full members and who expect to be singing for the whole year (Full members effectively pay a reduced rehersal fee for each concert)

Ability to read music:

Desirable

Sight-reading ability:

Desirable