Leading choir director sings praises of New Norfolk pop-up group

Picture: Up She Rises Choir New Norfolk

A SERIES of recent choral events, including a pop-up concert at New Norfolk’s Saturday market, drew praise from well-known Tasmanian choir principal, Jane Christie-Johnston. 

The director of the Sing For Your Life Choir said the success of local events owed a good deal to local singing talent, as well as the organisers and providers of performance spaces. 

“Credit goes Derwent Valley Arts who collaborated with Festival of Voices to get us to New Norfolk,” she said, “plus the amazingly receptive and positive folk at the Market and 9B Studios.

“They were all incredible.”

Tasmania’s annual Festival of Voices, which began in 2005, has blossomed into one of Australia’s premier singing festivals, with multiple public performances, big group singing, community exchanges, concerts, workshops and more.

The performances around New Norfolk showed off that expansion into venues beyond cities around Tasmania.   

“There’s no festival like it,” says Christie-Johnston, “nothing close in Australia.” 

What is it about the coldest part of the year that makes people want to sing?

Inspired by the age-old tradition of gathering around a fire, this Tasmanian winter event series has become Australia’s leading singing celebration. Festival of Voices celebrates the transformative power of singing that brings people together. 

“Choirs here almost used to shut down over the cold season,” adds Jane, “but these days, the festival has given us a reason to come out in the winter. It’s injected this amazing energy into choirs at a time when they’d normally be quiet. 

“You should sing any time of year, but when you get together in the cold, it makes for is a good time, elevates our sense of community. 

“It’s become a time to really get out there and celebrate the joy of singing instead of people feeling quite isolated. Choral singing brings us together, and helps form important social bonds,” she said.

“We work well together,” said Heather Shearer, one of the singers in the choir known as Up She Rises. “It started as a flash mob – a sort of impromptu event –  at the Wooden Boat Festival. 

“It was just one day, but we had such a amazingly good time. Then came other Festival of Voices performances at Salamanca in Hobart. All of which made us want to keep going.”