MCAA PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2025
I write this report with only a little over a week to go before performance date in Adelaide for the MCAA’s seventh massed male choirs’ gala festival of song at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre.
I have reviewed my 2022 report written before the last festival in Sydney in 2022. It is refreshing and reassuring that the challenges and uncertainties attendant at that time mostly do not exist on this occasion. It is anticipated that 320+ choristers will perform on stage next week to a sold-out venue comprising 1,048 patrons, a wonderful outcome that augurs well for the financial wellbeing of the association.
Treasurer Ron Brown has distributed financial documents for the period to 31st December 2024 and the period 1st January 2025 to April 2025. Our Adelaide Festival has been driven by the local Adelaide Organising Committee comprising key members of the Metropolitan Male Choir of South Australia (MMCSA) who hosted the event. MMCSA President Lynton Nicholas’ prodigious efforts in leading the committee and in sourcing several grants, sponsorships and advertising have been remarkable and have helped set planning for the festival on a sound footing. Throughout, Neil Forrest’s work as Adelaide liaison with the MCAA Committee simultaneously as he managed surveys, choristers attending, dinner bookings and possible tours was exceptional. They have been ably assisted by Graham Staniforth and Chris Charlesworth in numerous financial, budgeting and logistical aspects.
We will all see Evan Patton’s work come to fruition from Sunday 18th May onwards as early arrivals in Adelaide take advantage of either or both of the early rehearsals before Saturday 24th May’s full rehearsal for the Gala Concert on Sunday 25th May. We have been fortunate to benefit from Evan’s extensive experience and musical prowess together with his focused hard work on ensuring clear information and guidance was provided to member choirs’ MDs and his capacity to attract Adelaide orchestra members to perform with us. It will be a new experience for most MCAA members to be accompanied in several items by an orchestra and we look forward to singing with MCAA’s Principal Accompanist, Sachiko Hidaka and listening to young solo flautist Akane Mears.
The MCAA exists only to stage a triennial massed male choirs’ concert. It is an extensive and expensive task in the region of $50K. We need to continually ask ourselves whether we want to continue with such a venture given the expense and challenges in finding an affordable venue that will accommodate our number of choristers plus accompanying musicians and soloists. The immediately preceding comments may seem statements of the “bleedin’ obvious” but I believe need reiterating to emphasise the importance of members offering their services for the MCAA Committee if we are to survive, grow and prosper. Grist to the mill, perhaps, for the General Meeting to follow the AGM in Adelaide on Saturday 24th May.
Whilst David Kennedy (Orange MVC) and Gidley McCullagh (Ku-ring-gai MC) will step down from the committee at the AGM, it is reassuring to know that two new nominations have been received so far to complement the other continuing members of the committee. However, whilst I am prepared to re-nominate for President for 2025-26, I would like someone to nominate for Vice President with a view to succeeding me in one year’s time to take the MCAA towards the next festival in 2028. At this time next year, I will have been President of the MCAA for 6+ years, overseen two festivals and guided the association through the Covid-19 pandemic challenges. My fellow committee members have worked steadfastly towards making Adelaide a success in conjunction with the Adelaide Organising Committee. Peter O’Driscoll continues to demonstrate deft financial, IT and secretarial skills to add to his corporate knowledge of the association alongside long-standing members Bruce Sharpham, David Kennedy and Ron Brown. John Miller, Chris McRobert and Gidley McCullagh have all contributed massively especially as Zoom meetings were scheduled fortnightly in 2025 as the concert approached. I trust you will all thank them and appreciate the efforts they have made.
We have a concert to perform soon! Let’s do our sold-out audience and ourselves proud so that a positive underpinning can be presented to consider the questions I have posed above concerning our future.
Cheers
NEIL FLEMING
President 17th May 2025