Southland

Conducted by Lesley Challender, Southland choir comprises members from Newcastle in the north to Nowra in the south, Sydney in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west. They will perform the beautiful Ola Gjeilo song, “The Ground” and some Australian Christmas carols. Tickets available at the door. Adults $30, Children under 18 free.

A little more about Southland....

Southland is an 'occasional performing choir'. They are a group of friends from a wide range of musical backgrounds who first came together as a choir in 2012 to combine the joy of choral singing with the pleasures of overseas travel.

The choir is based in New South Wales on the east coast of Australia and our choristers travel up to 150km to rehearse together in the months before touring. They have toured mostly in Europe, participating in festivals in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Poland, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.

In 2017 they were invited to perform at the opening ceremony of the 5th Vietnam International Choir Competition in Hoi An and at the opening ceremony of the Quang Nam Heritage Festival.

Their Australian performances include the Blackheath Choral Festival; concerts in Pyrmont, Camden, Bathurst, Berry, and Ulladulla; and as a featured choir in the International Choral Program at the Festival of Voices in Hobart (2017).

Their repertoire is varied. They enjoy learning works of composers from the countries in which they sing, and find overseas audiences enjoy the particular harmonies, styles and sounds of their Australian repertoire.

The musical director is Lesley Challender. Lesley is a musician and music teacher. She has directed the Shoalhaven Lydian Singers, the Macarthur Singers, a cappella groups Cambiata and Cantare, and various church choirs.