JOAN: I am sure that we all share those special moments when a note, instrumental, vocal or combined, strikes your very soul, often causing tears of sorrow or joy to flow. My daughter from Auckland came with Mike and me to Christ Church last Saturday to hear the Community Choir and guest artists present their Summer Celebration. Mike and I remember when the choir was first formed up at Four Seasons Theatre. We have loved their many performances since, but Juliet, our daughter, had never been to a concert of theirs. She joined us on Saturday out of courtesy to her parents, I think, and with little expectation. Boy, was she amazed! She loved every minute of the afternoon, as did Mike and I!
Christ Church, for me, does not have the best local acoustics, but the choir was in fine form and their varied items were all excellent. Beginning with the National Anthem arranged by prodigious New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, including everyone's favourite songs from Mamma Mia and California Dreamin', they were sharp, "tappy" and at times gentle and moving. Each member sang with enjoyment and confidence and responded, as I am sure that they do in rehearsal, to the radiant smile and guidance of our very special Lyn Whiteside. She and Abby Livesay make a marvellous team (as they proved in their recent production of Sound of Music at Amdram) and Abby's accompaniment was as brilliant as ever.
Guest artists shone. Two rather nervous-looking lads from Collegiate, Ethan Castellanos and Scott Bryant, sang fun solos with clarity and pure, pleasing voices. We will hear them again, I am sure. Roz Armstrong sings in the Community Choir. She is also head of drama at high school and she brought along her AwaSide Choir made up of vital members of the school with whom she obviously shares both her love of song and performance This small, mixed choir sang three items, two of which were arranged by Roz herself. They were stunning and the large audience loved them. More, please!
Abby is always a joy to watch. Her whole being expresses the mood of what she is playing. A great bonus on Saturday was to hear her share two items with her mother, haunting singer Winifred Livesay and Ingrid Culliford, flautist, musician extraordinaire. They, too, chose compositions by Anthony Ritchie and their three instruments, so finely tuned and in such knowledgeable unity, were breathtakingly beautiful. A crescendo note from their performance took MY breath away. As the interval followed, I was able to shed tears of joy and sorrow silently and privately and be glad.
This was a memorable afternoon and I was so happy to have shared it with my lovely daughter.
MIKE: On seeing Sandy de Kock's works at Space last week, my first thought was of Aboriginal Dreaming paintings from Australia's Northern Territory. Right idea, wrong desert! Kalahari ('the waterless place') is inspired by Sandy's home continent — warmth, colour, nature being integral elements. Bright, swirling, eye-catching, her paintings, in acrylic and ink on paper , dominate the walls of Gallery One. In contrast to their brightness, two exquisite, tiny roseate shapes sit on a small shelf. The artist's notes explain that they are "desert roses", formed naturally over millions of years, from various minerals. Each contains "a spirit guardian and is used as a talisman for protection and energy flow". Sandy must certainly find them a huge stimulus for her creativity.
Believing is a Beautiful Thing is the title of Carmen Simmonds' new exhibition in Gallery 2. I enjoyed the solidity and heft of the three Paper Dolls, fashioned in cast lead crystal glass, with the translucent effect she achieves with different colours. Headless Beauty refers to two items, one a yellow/green combination, the other blue/mauve, with individual descriptions, the letters of which are worked into the body of the vessel. The latter proclaims "It's lovely, such beauty", the second, "I could speak the words".
