JULY 2018 ARTeFACT Magazine

Sweet Mona’s Choir, based in Ballarat, Australia, is one of Victoria’s
leading, and longest running, gospel and world music choirs.
The choir was born organically in mid-nineties, when an enterprising
teacher used choral singing as an innovative way to teach voice skills in
a performing arts course. Sweet Mona’s has evolved over time, with the
complexity and variety of arrangements increasing as the choir reached a
professional standard that surpassed its original purpose.
Sweet Mona’s Choir focuses on a Capella and rhythm and performs a
broad range of contemporary, world and gospel music, including music
from the Staple Singers and the Golden Gate Quartet. Expertly directed
by multi-instrumentalist, renowned percussionist and vocalist Stella Savy
(Los Locos, Ballarat Ska Union), their sound ranges from a rich, deep
resonance to a lively, energetic tone, to haunting melodies that stay with
you long after the performance is over. Sweet Mona’s Choir are also
famous for their world-class arrangements, created by Barry Deenick
(Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Bustamento), Stella Savy and more. The
choir has also been privileged to work with some of the best musicians
on the Australian and international music scene, including Venetta Fields,
Mal Webb, Tony Backhouse, Hugh Masekela, Valanga Khoza, Andrea
Khoza and Vika & Linda Bull. Sweet Monaís Choir has performed at
a huge range of venues including music festivals from Apollo Bay to
Brunswick, from churches, weddings and community events to Federation
Square in the heart of Melbourne.
Comprising 30-40 singers, from a diverse range of backgrounds and
ages, countless people from the community have enjoyed, and benefited
from, performing with the choir over the past 20 odd years. Each member
offers something different to the choir, keeping Sweet Mona’s Choir a
colourful and lively human music machine!
AUDITION
Want to audition? Read on
Places in the choir are very limited. When we audition, we are looking for
a combination of factors- the ability to hold and match pitches, blending
and balancing your voice with others, the ability to clap and step in time
and the ability to be a proactive member of a group.
Please note: Rehearsal is held Tuesday nights (in Ballarat) 7-9pm during
school terms and is mandatory. Choir members are expected to be
available for gigs throughout the year.
*Don’t be alarmed if you don’t hear from us for a long time, we usually
only hold auditions once a year!
We will email you when we are holding auditions. Your details will be held
safely in our database!
MINI MONA’S CHOIR
The Mini Mona’s are a community children’s choir who perform a Capella
and accompanied contemporary, world and gospel music. Singing these
styles of music opens avenues of understanding and appreciation of other
culture’s musical styles, languages, attitudes and perspectives. Children
of any age and ability are welcomed and given the opportunity to sing,
create and perform!
Ballarat’s longest-running community choir, BCS has a focus on
classical work with regular explorations of more contemporary works.
Founded over one hundred years ago, BCS maintains a friendly
community feel and a high standard of singing. We are a small choir with
a big sound, a collective of people who are passionately committed to
singing great music, and doing it well. With the support of our talented
Musical Director, Helen Duggan, we are known for our beautiful renditions
of the classics - from Mozart to Beethoven and beyond - and our
exploration of the lighter side of music. Please join us on our vibrant
musical journey, as an audience member, a supporter or a chorister.
@ballaratchoralsociety
info@ballaratchoralsociety.com
http://www.ballaratchoralsociety.com
@sweetmonaschoir
https://sweetmonaschoir.com
Genre: Gospel and world music choir
Band Members
www.myspace.com/sweetmonaschoir
https://sweetmonaschoir.com/
www.facebook.com/sweetmonaschoir
Home Town : Ballarat
About:
Vibrant, harmonically magnificent Sweet Mona’s Choir is a Ballarat based
gospel and world music choir of exceptional quality! For over 20 years,
the ‘Monas’ have continued to delight audiences with their energetic stage
presence and stunning vocals.
Biography: Born organically in mid-nineties, when an enterprising teacher
used choral singing as an innovative way to teach voice skills in a
performing arts course, Sweet... See more on the website! Booking agent:
Sarah Sainsbury - go to ‘contact us’ at https://sweetmonaschoir.com/
July 2018 ARTeFACT Newsletter
43