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Synchrony of song

The Queensland Show Choir (QSC) celebrated its 30th birthday last year. We asked Ally Hannon who is a current choir member and the QSC immediate past president about QSC’s longevity and the benefits of choral singing with QSC..

QSC aims to provide sustainable and unique opportunities for singers of all ages to experience passionate and excellent choral performances that create personal development, lasting memories and lifelong associations.

Founding director, Robert Clark, created the Qld Youth Choir in 1984 as a community-based not-for-profit organisation providing opportunities for young singers aged 15-25. The Qld Youth Choir was modelled on the highly successful American show choir, the Singing Hoosiers.

Now called the Queensland Show Choir, our ensembles are committed to the show choir artistic style which involves selecting popular music and incorporating choreographed dancing to provide an entertaining audience experience.

QSC currently comprises six choirs ranging from Bambino Music for babies and children under five to More Than Words, an auditioned corporate vocal entertainment group.

I sing with Vox Populus, the community choir for people over 18. Joining Vox has been the best thing I’ve ever done. We all jokingly say that it’s “cheaper than therapy, more fun and much more effective!” Jokes aside, research has found that people who sing in choirs have high levels of wellbeing and are better able to cope with stress. A Swedish study also found that not only do choir members’ heart rates slow down as they begin to sing, but their heartbeats gradually synchronise, eventually beating as one in time with the song’s tempo.

Singing with the choir is cathartic – I can arrive in a terrible mood for rehearsal and by the time I leave a couple of hours later, I feel transformed. I always sleep very soundly after rehearsal.

The Show Choir is a fantastic experience for our younger members too. QSC provides a caring and supportive environment where the children learn singing and performance technique and develop self-confidence, teamwork skills, personal friendships and a sense of community involvement. They are supported even when things go wrong and are encouraged to learn from the experience, have a laugh and move on. They love performing and just light up on stage.
QSC is not an organisation centred on individual self-aggrandisement, but rather one that encourages members to acquire self-confidence and enhanced ability through skilled performances. Young singers are encouraged to develop their potential and gain skills that will empower them to pursue careers in music, or simply contribute to their own self-development and community cultural enrichment. Many choristers go on to become prominent professionals, with careers as singers, theatrical performers and professional educators.

QSC also provides members of its major ensembles with opportunities to undertake interstate or overseas tours. These tours help to cement the strong personal bonds between members – in difficult times we are secure in the love and support of our fellow choristers and know there is someone there to help pick up the pieces if needed.

We were excited to host the Singing Hoosiers in Brisbane last year. This was an extraordinary experience for all the ensembles. Performing with the Hoosiers in honour of our 30th anniversary was inspiring, and the friendship between the organisations has created lifelong memories and forged an alliance that will last well into the future.

What’s next for QSC?

We’re hosting our annual Brisbane Sings event in the Concert Hall at QPAC on Sunday 30 August. This year, we’ve developed a partnership with Mater Chicks in Pink to help raise awareness of, and funds for, breast cancer research. As a community-focussed organisation, we’re thrilled to be able to develop this alliance, and hope that we can partner with other community organisations in a similar fashion in the future.

We’re also working on incorporating an innovative auditioned ensemble in the young adult age bracket, which will bring an exciting level of high performance to QSC’s repertoire.

We are currently planning our next overseas tour, which will be to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in 2016 and Ly Wilder, of the Singing Hoosiers and Jacobs School of Music is working with us to develop a series of choral performance workshops in Brisbane in 2016.

Ally Hannon
Ally Hannon has been involved with QSC since 2008, firstly as a member of Vox Populus and then as a management committee member. She was Vice President of QSC from 2011 until 2015. Ally has been involved in the performing arts most of her life, having studied classical ballet, jazz and contemporary, tap, Irish dancing and Scottish Highland dancing for about 20 years. Becoming a member of QSC re-ignited Ally’s childhood love of singing and performing, and she enjoys performing most at community and charitable events. In her spare time, Ally is devoted to theatre, travelling, reading, Art Deco preservation, and rescuing ex-racing greyhounds. Ally is a member of two Toastmasters clubs and is a passionate supporter of the Collingwood Football Club.