Hello Music Directors,

I hope your preparations are going well for 2025 Male Choirs Festival at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. I can advise that recent returns from participating choirs suggest that we are likely to have well over 350 singers on stage and perhaps over 400!

New Documents

A number of documents are attached (with the original email):
An updated Comments about the Repertoire. Changes have been made to comments about Anthem, I Still Call Australia Home, Speed Your Journey and She Was Beautiful.
For She Was Beautiful there has been a key change so a new PDF is attached.
Two adjusted pages for Speed Your Journey are also attached.
A reminder that the version of Sailors Chorus in the book is the wrong one. The correct version PDF is also attached.

Positions of Sections during the Performance

The Adelaide Entertainment Centre has stepped seating – 12 rows with 3 sets of 15 seats per row with 2 lots of steps between the 3 sets of seats. In order to fit their seating and keep sections together the seating plan below will be used:

It may be useful for your choirs to start practising in this standing order from the beginning of 2025 so they get used to the arrangement. I understand this will probably mean a change for many choirs, including the MMCSA!

Performance and Rehearsal Absolute Rules

The MCAA’s rule is that all singers are expected to perform from memory and that all choristers will be in their choir’s uniform for the performance.
For Health and Safety Reasons and due to Staging planning, any chorister who does not attend the final rehearsal on Saturday 24 May at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre will not be allowed to perform on Sunday 25 May.

Final Rehearsals and Performance Times, Locations etc:

• Sunday 25 May (Adelaide Entertainment Centre – Theatres). Singers should plan on arriving between 12.30 and 1.00pm. Doors open to the Public at 1.00pm. Concert starts at 2.00pm and should finish between 4.00 and 4.30pm.
• Saturday 24 May 12.30 – 4.00pm (Adelaide Entertainment Centre – Theatres) Seating allocations into choir sections from 12.30. Singers move onto stage around 1.10pm. Rehearsal choir with Piano 1.30 – 2.00pm. Orchestra arrives 2.00pm. Singers dismissed at 3.45 approximately.

Optional Rehearsals

• Thursday 22 May 7.00 – 10.00pm: Rehearsal for Singers and Piano.
• Sunday 18 May 2.00 – 5.00pm: Rehearsal for Singers and Orchestra. Visiting Choirs may want to plan their arrival in Adelaide in time to join in with the rehearsal. This will give you days after that rehearsal for tourist activities.
• NB. Venues to be confirmed – likely to be CBD or inner suburban location. These rehearsals are not open to partners or guests. Numbers of people planning to attend will be required by the end of January in order to ensureDraft Program Order
In the final months leading up to the concert, you may wish to start singing pieces through in the brackets listed below:

1a Orchestra Solo: Copland, Fanfare for Common Man
1b Let All Men Sing
2a Rachie
2b Deus Salutis
2c For The Beauty of The Earth
3 Orchestra with Guest Artist: Bizet / Borne Fantasie on Carmen
4a Sailors Chorus Dutchmen
4b Speed Your Journey Nabucco
4c Be Still My Soul Finlandia
POSSIBLE INTERVAL
5a Bound for SA
5b Away from the Roll of the Sea
5c Shelter
6 Orchestra Solo: Bernstein, West Side Story Medley
7a She Was Beautiful
7b Anthem from Chess
7c Make You Feel My Love
8a What Would I Do Without My Music
8b Rhythm Of Life
9 (encore) I Still Call Australia Home
Please advise me if you would prefer me to use a different email address to contact you.
I welcome any questions you have and look forward to working with you all.

Best wishes,
Evan Patton
Music Director, Metropolitan Male Choir of SA
Music Director, MCAA 2025 Male Choirs Festival
28 October 2024
Email: md.mmcsa@gmail.com