Bookings are now open for our Semester One major performance, The Armed Man - phone 4MBS Ticketing on 3847 1717, 9am to 5pm, 7 days.
The semester has started brilliantly, with success at the Queensland Eisteddfod, and performances at other gigs - thanks to all who have been involved in these!
QUMS will run the gamut of human emotion when it performs Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane at 7.30pm on Saturday June 2.
Both works are inspired by the desire for peace, although they were written at very different points in history. Vaughan Williams wrote Dona Nobis Pacem in 1936, when the horrors of World War I were still fresh in people's memories, and the threat of World War II was growing. Jenkins wrote The Armed Man in 1999 to mark the start of the new millennium, but he also looked back at the old and noted how much strife had marked our existence.
After setting the martial tone with the French Renaissance tune "L'Homme Armee," Jenkins' work goes through the preparation for battle, the waiting for the battle to begin, the unspeakable horror of war itself, and the aftermath. While Jenkins includes lyrics from writers ranging from Dryden poems to 15th century anthems and hymns, Vaughan Williams' words come from Walt Whitman poems and parts of the Catholic Mass. He too leads the audience through the experience of war and peace.
Each piece takes audience on the arching journey, and the vivid way the music, words and orchestration illustrate the journey, brings the audience in to be a part of it. It is very evocative music, and it is hard for the audience not to feel it, become immersed in it.
The concert is about experiencing the range of emotion that music can make you feel, the story that it can tell. It's a celebration of the power of the music to take people on a journey, and the way music describes it. We look forward to you joining us on that journey.
For this performance, QUMS is once again joined by the Sinfonia of St Andrew's, along with guest soloists Elspeth Sutherland (Soprano) and Peter Adams (baritone).
For ticket bookings please contact 4MBS Ticketing on 07 3847 1717 (9am-5pm, 7 days a week): Adults - $30, Concession - $20 (includes Tertiary Students and Pensioners), School Students - $10.
Information about QUMS' past performances can be found here.
In what we believe is the first time that QUMS as a whole has participated in a Queensland Eisteddfod, and indeed the first time in forty years that Brisbane has been represented in the state competition, we enjoyed great success over the Easter weekend (April 6-7) in Ipswich!
Of nine sections entered, QUMS won the Open Men's Choral Contest and the Open Modern Chorus, placed second in the Open Chief Choral Contest and the Welsh Hymn Singing, third in the Open Ladies' Choral Contest and the Small Vocal Ensemble, and received Highly Commendeds for the Open Grand Madrigal and Open Sacred Choral Contests, putting us in second place overall!
Thanks to all who played a part in making this success possible - a great weekend was had by all!
QUMS' Centenary season is well underway, and we will be celebrating this milestone throughout this year.
Semester One has been a busy one for us, with QUMS competing very successfully in the Queensland Eisteddfod over the Easter weekend (April 6 and 7) in Ipswich. This was followed by appearances at the TocH Anzac Eve Service (April 24/25) and the UQ Thanksgiving Service for Body Donors on May 2. Preparations are now well underway for our major semester concert, The Armed Man, on June 2nd in St John's Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane City, where we will perform Karl Jenkins' acclaimed work The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem.
Semester Two will provide an opportunity for past members of QUMS to connect with their former choir and friends made during their time as members, with the Centenary Reunion Weekend taking place over the weekend of September 8 and 9, including rehearsals, displays, a singalong in the former Mayne Hall, and a formal dinner, culminating in a Centenary Gala Concert at St John's Cathedral on the afternoon of Sunday, September 9, featuring the current QUMS choir, the Pro Musica Singers (the former QUMS Madrigal Group of the 1960s) and the massed Alumni Choir. Details regarding registration for this weekend will be published shortly - any who wish to be contacted regarding this can email the President to add their details to our contact list.
The year's concerts will then be rounded out with a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah in the Conservatorium Theatre (Southbank) on November 3, after which the choir will start its regular Christmas Carolling activities.
Preparations are underway for the celebration of QUMS' 100th birthday in 2012, but what's a birthday party without people?
The QUMS Committee wants to hear from any former members of QUMS so that when details of the celebration are published, we can circulate them as widely as possible.
Any assistance that can be offered with the preparation of memorabilia, whether donated or on loan, would be greatly appreciated also.
Please email David to register your interest.