GUIDELINES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WEEKEND 29 – 30^th October 2022

These guidelines contain the following:

1. This cover sheet
2. Order of repertoire and performers
3. Map of Sydney venues
4. Adjacent eateries to Sydney Town Hall
5. Guidelines and Instructions for Saturday afternoon, 29^th October

• Rehearsal, Pitt Street Uniting Church
• Dinner, Club York

6. Guidelines and Instructions for Sunday, 30^th October

• Morning, Sydney Town Hall – rehearsal, logistics, seating
• Afternoon – CONCERT

Neil Fleming
President
Male Choirs Association of Australia
14^th October 2022

COVID-19 POLICY:

Any participant who is exhibiting cold-like or Covid-19 symptoms during the weekend of 29-30^th October must NOT attend either the rehearsal or the performance, disappointing as such a decision would be. Please do not jeopardise the health of other participants.

The Sydney Town Hall recently revoked its previous policy that anyone entering the STH must wear a mask. Neither audience members nor performers are obliged to wear masks. If you choose to wear a mask, it should be removed for performance purposes once you enter the hall for seating immediately prior to the commencement of the concert.

UNIFORMS:

At the risk of sounding like your mother, don’t forget to ensure your choir’s uniform is ship-shape for the performance. If you’re travelling to Sydney, don’t forget to actually pack or stow your uniform for travel with you. See later note.

AFTERGLOW:

For those who can, arrangements have been made to meet at the Criterion Hotel, corner of Pitt and Park Streets after the concert on Sunday afternoon.

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS:

Doctors will be in attendance at the rehearsal and Concert as a part of the massed choir.
St John Ambulance will be in attendance at the Concert in the Sydney Town Hall.

It is important to avoid vocal strain during the two rehearsals and Concert performance. Ensure that you engage in the vocal warm-ups, avoid overextending your voice while singing and keep your vocal cords hydrated by sipping water. Ensure that you take a bottle of water to both rehearsals and on to the stage for the concert.

If you feel a little unwell and feel that you can continue on stage, then remain seated to sing.
At previous concerts choristers have called for assistance and have left the stage to receive medical attention. Two prominent reasons for this were forgetting to take medication and a lack of hydration.

MCAA FESTIVAL 2022

ORDER OF REPERTOIRE AND PERFORMERS

Choir Bracket 1:

Friendship in Song

Calon Lan

Sixteen Tons

ORGAN SOLO                                                     Robert Fox

Choir Bracket 2:

Ave Verum

Bring Him Home

Hand Me Down My Silver Trumpet

SOPRANO SOLO                                                               Anita Kyle

INTERVAL                                                      20 minutes

Choir Bracket 3:

Tell My Father

You Raise Me Up

She

There is Nothin’ Like a Dame

WILLOUGHBY BRASS BAND – 3 items

PRESENTATIONS

Choir Bracket 4:

Anthem

Shenandoah

Rachie

When the Saints Go Marching In

NOTE: A free official program of the concert will be available for each audience member and each chorister and guest artist.

Where you will rehearse, dine and perform in Sydney on 29 & 30 October 2022.

EATERIES FOR 30 OCTOBER MCAA CONCERT DAY

• If choristers exit onto Druitt St, go right to a set of stairs (under the STH Main Entrance Stairs), this leads to Town Hall Station.

If you turn left and go to the Main Exit from the Town Hall Platforms, there are two corridors, half left and half right (under the street).

• If you take the left or west corridor, there are eateries and takeaway. In the first section, there are Sharetea and Luneburgers.  In the second section, there is   If you go down the escalator, there is Boost Juice, Top Juice and Sushi Hub.  Down the next escalator, there is a large Westfield Food Court – just outside is Pitt St Mall.
• If you take the right or north corridor, there are Daily Edition, Sushi Hub and Top Juice. Further on, there are Miles & Co. (with a variety of takeaway), Rendez Vous (for crepes), and 5 places open in a small Food Court.
• If you exit onto Druitt St, and cross George St to Woolworths, they have Snacks on the Ground Floor, and a Supermarket on the Lower Ground.
• Further on in Market St is Hungry Jacks, on the left side near Pitt St corner.

Reminder – you will have about 1 hour for lunch once rehearsal and logistics finish & be back in time to dress and prepare for the concert proper.

Or, bring your own pre-prepared lunch.

MCAA FESTIVAL          SYDNEY               29 – 30^th October 2022

SATURDAY, 29^TH OCTOBER

REHEARSAL, PITT STREET UNITING CHURCH, 264 Pitt St, Sydney                 (see accompanying map)

2.40 pm                Plan on arriving at PSUC no later than 2.40 pm
Turn off your mobile phone before entering the rehearsal.

Dress: As most attendees at the rehearsal will also be attending the Dinner to follow at Club York, it is suggested that you wear the same smart casual clothing to both events. When Paul Jarman concludes the rehearsal, it is a 10-minute walk to Club York. Those attending the dinner with partners will need to make appropriate meet-up arrangements.

Please wear your name badges. Bring your own water bottle.

TOM COGHLAN will be Chief Marshal

2.45 pm                Plan on arriving by 2.45 pm to be ushered in at 3.00 pm

3.00 pm                Choristers & Accompanist will enter PSUC. Marshals will greet & direct choristers to their respective part’s quadrant in body of church as signs will indicate.

3.15 pm                Paul Jarman will commence rehearsal promptly at 3.15 pm.

6.00 pm                Conclude rehearsal.

DINNER          CLUB YORK   99 York St, Sydney.
First Floor, Red Room

6.30 for 7.00pm

Club York is a licensed club. Unless you are a member, you will need to register at reception so have your driver’s licence or other identification ready.

Move to the Red Room on the First Floor where marshals will welcome you and check off names.

Except for the President’s table, seating at tables is NOT allocated. We ask that you make every effort to mix attendees from different choirs so that meaningful social interaction can occur. Wearing of name badges will assist in this regard.

It will be a low-profile evening with only one SHORT address by the President to allow for further fraternization after dessert.

The evening will conclude about 10.00 pm. We expect all choristers will remain bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for the big day to follow!

AND: You do have your uniform all ready for the next day, don’t you!

Sydney Town Hall, MCAA Concert on Sunday 30 October 2022.

8.45 am           Plan on arriving outside the Druitt St entrance to STH.

9.00 am           Druitt St entrance open for choristers to enter.
Turn off your mobile phone before entering the Sydney Town Hall.

9.10 am           Choristers are seated into four sections of a Choir on floor of Town Hall.  They will have their clothing and bags with them.

TOM COGHLAN will be Chief Marshall.

9.30 am           Choristers on stage where each chorister is to be seated for concert.

9.35 am           Sound Check and final run through with Paul Jarman and Elina Yasumoto.

10.15 am         Arrival of Brass Band, Organist & Violinist and their respective rehearsals with Choir.

11.05 am         Dismissal of Choir and placement of belongings in Change Room.

Chairs will be positioned around perimeter of rooms and hanging racks will be provided.

11.10 am         Organist run through of items.

11.20 am         Brass Band run through of items.

11.45 am         Arrival of Soprano and run through of items.

12 noon           Lunch Break.  If Choristers go out, they go and return via Druitt St.

Chief Marshall to instruct Ushers.

12.00 noon      Organist practice alone

1.00 am           Main Doors open for public.

1.15 am           Photographer arrives.

1.30 am           Choristers assemble in change rooms in preparation for marshalling and movement onto the stage. You must be returned from lunch break and dressed in your uniform in the Change Room by 1.30 pm at the latest.
Turn off your mobile phone before entering the stage

PLEASE NOTE: You MUST be dressed in your choir’s official performance uniform to perform on stage. If you forget your uniform, notwithstanding the time and expense you will have expended, you will not be able to perform on stage. From lessons learned in previous festivals, the visual aesthetic of the massed choirs cannot be compromised.

1.40-1.50 pm   Choristers take up seating on stage.
Red Song Books and prompt notes are NOT permitted on stage for the Concert.

Once you have entered the STH, adopt stage etiquette and resist/refrain from direct acknowledgement of audience members.

2.00 pm           Festival commences.

2.55 pm           Interval – 20 minutes.

3.15 pm           Festival resumes.

4.20 pm           Finale.

5.00 pm           Doors shut.

5.30 pm           All operations concluded.

Cheers

NEIL FLEMING

President

20^th August 2020