Calling all Woden Valley Youth Choir Alumni

Miz, I your comment is very upsetting and I hope to set the record straight.

What you say about the choir being hard to get into is unbelievably untrue. I believe it would be a number like 9 out of 10 who get in on audition. These term fees you refer too, as well, are stated on poor information. They are not “EXPENSIVE” but necessary costs to buy sheet music which price continually increases. What is more, choristers no longer buy their uniforms, which when I first joined you had to get the whole lot custom made. As for assertions that they are less community oriented, only two weekends ago they joined in a charity concert to raise money for Canberra pediatrics and continually serve the community. The choir also no longer competes in eisteddfods, and believes music is to be treasured and shared, not competitive. If your assertion means to cast dispersions on the effort put into the choir by the community, I would put this down to a marker of an increasingly busy and individual lifestyle led by people.

As for comments about the web page, I’m sure you can appreciate the difficulties of scanning in archives of old film and photographs, transferring recorded forms into digital forms etc. by a choir whose very small staff are for the most part volunteers. Furthermore, if you would like evidence that the choir pays homage to its roots you need only look above and see that we have spent a long time planning what it promising to be a weekend of celebration of these roots in which we would like all alumni to join. It breaks my heart that you are willing to bypass your good memories of the choir and the chance to join old friends in your love of music, for an unintentionally incomplete discography and mistaken impressions of the choir today.

I hope you can be convinced to sign up and join in the celebrations.

I’m in that photo poptop posted, BTW – and I THINK Craig Allen (ABC Newsreader) is in the front row on the right of the photo.

johnboy, I am merely pointing out that, other than a very brief background history, their website seems to ignore the first twenty years of the choir. It even states incorrect information, such as that they have released four albums (I can tell you I was on an excellent, earlier album not mentioned on the published list).

Their whole philosophy has changed too – they are now ridiculously exclusive and hard to get into (there were always auditions but there are now EXPENSIVE term fees!), whereas they were much more community oriented back then. I don’t see this as an improvement.

In the late 70s and 80s, I remember this choir as being THE choir to get in to. I am not sure if they’re still around, but in those days, they were pretty-much Canberra’s grand choir.

Amazingly Don Whitbread is still involved.

The ACT Heritage Library says they formed in February 1969.

Did they forget?

Probably because they’re a choir and not website developers?

So they want alumni to turn up, but don’t actually have any tribute to their origins on their website (eg the old albums or gallery photos) . . .