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25.01.2022 Welcome to a new corona-crazy semester of SCUNA! As last semester, Covid-19 is preventing us from having in-person rehearsals But do not fret - we've got some pandemic-safe alternatives up our sleeves! If you're new and would like to know more about our plans this sem, e-mail us at [email protected] and we'll add you to our newsletter

24.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 19: Eliza "I don’t remember how old I was when I started to sing. I only know that I must have been singing sacred repertoire in the family home. When I was about twelve years old I tagged along with my brother to singing lessons with an operatic baritone who taught in the bel canto style. In a couple of short years I learnt how to listen to myself, figure out how what I needed to work on and explore and experiment further from a solid foundation. Singing... and music more generally punctuated the weeks and years with church singing, Easter and Christmas programs and various church music programs I used to put on in nursing homes in Melbourne no more, alas! Though I was always an academic student first, I threw myself into my high school music program, with composition classes, four orchestras in which I played viola and up to five choirs at a time. I couldn’t study all day, and music provided an outlet for the inevitable stresses of adolescence. Since leaving high school and moving to Canberra to become a historian and Latinist in 2017, I’ve missed the ready opportunities for musical growth that a good music school lays at one’s feet, especially for viola. I was blessed to find a church community up here that celebrates music and gave me the chance to contribute to their music team nothing professional, but a great bunch of passionate Christians. In the middle of last year, I returned from a wonderful exchange semester of singing with an ecclesiastical choir of trained opera singers an experience both intimidating and thrilling to join SCUNA in second semester. Within a couple of weeks of rehearsals, I began to recognise the great spirit of camaraderie within our little bunch. The relaxed community of singers that has been fostered here demonstrates to the budding singer that it’s perfectly okay to reach for the moon and land among the stars. I continue to be grateful for the chance I had at our 2019 end of year concert to perform from Handel’s Messiah: repertoire that was a delight to learn and I hope tolerable to witness! This year I have had the honour of serving as General Representative on SCUNA’s committee and serving as musical director of the Seventh-day Adventist church in Turner, though I never imagined I would lead two communities down the rocky road of banning group singing in these past months! It has been an opportunity for character development for me and I know I’m not alone. As we cautiously open up again this semester, I look forward to seeing all your lovely faces again and to meet our newcomers that haven’t experienced the joy that is singing with passion among people that care." See more

23.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 23: John I’ve been singing on and off in choirs since being a small boy soprano in the little church choir at Balgownie NSW (near Wollongong) in the late 50s. Continued as boy soprano until my voice broke. Was devastated when our public school went co-ed, and the upstart girls were given the descant lines quelle horreur! A very beautiful and talented music teacher brought me back to choir and madrigal group in year 11, giving me a life-long pathway to ...this rewarding pastime. Was delighted to discover University choral groups while at University of Melbourne where I joined MUCS. By that time I was in the Air Force that over my career took me to many places around the world, some of which didn’t have a University choral group. Along the way, had postings to near Sydney (5 broken years with SUMS), back to Melbourne (and MUCS), and Canberra (twice SCUNA, of course). I could be the oldest current member who is ex-president of SCUNA (for a period in 1982-4, cut short when I was suddenly transferred back to a base near Sydney and back to SUMS). At the time of my presidency, SCUNA was tiny maybe 20 members, but with a bigger proportion of student members. A highlight of my first period with SCUNA was Sydney IV 82 when we performed the Beethoven Missa Solemnis in the Opera House. The choirmaster and conductor was Georg Tintner who was an ex-Vienna boys chorister, a Beethoven specialist, and a fantastic teacher. So we had to learn to pronounce the Latin with German accents! At the time, I was still singing tenor. For those of you that know it, and specifically tenors, there is an unaccompanied completely exposed tenor only forte (well, really ff) G entry in the Et Resurrexit, after a key change. Really scary, but we nailed it, hyperventilated as we were. The late wonderful Peter Seymour, OBE, the musical director of the Sydney Philharmonia Society, was so impressed with the standard of the IV performance that he later invited SUMS (while I was in it) to augment the Philharmonia choir for large performances. So I got to sing again in the Opera House, performing at different times the Berlioz Requiem (complete with the 4 antiphonal brass choirs), African Sanctus, and Israel in Egypt. This last period in Canberra has revealed a completely different SCUNA than the 1984 version, with its diverse age demographic, and the professionalism of the leadership and the music staff. I cherish our times together.

23.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 14: Alex "Hi! I'm Alex. You've probably noticed me - I'm one of the louder Tenors. I first joined SCUNA in 2001, when I was a student at ANU. I left for a few years and helped start a new choir, but I came back to SCUNA when the time was right. I even served as Treasurer many years ago. Music has always meant a lot to me. My high school had a good music department, and I studied music up to Year 12. This is where I learned musical theory and how to read m...usic. I also learned to play the flute, although I haven't picked it up for years. All of this knowledge has been very useful to my work in the choir. SCUNA has been part of my life for a long time, and it probably will be for a long time to come. I fully expect to become a Boring Old Fart. I have the Boring part, and the Old part is getting closer every day. The Fart part is a state of mind that I'm actively trying to avoid, but will probably get me one day. In a couple of decades, you'll find me another silver-haired fixture of the choir who's sung every piece at least twice and who remembers concerts from before most choristers were born. It's probably my destiny. I hope to see you all again when the pandemic is over. It may be a rough time for choirs, but people will always need music."

22.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 15: Sarah "Flashback 44 years ago, armed with nothing more than my grandmother's garden hose, the world was my stage. I can remember singing along to my favourite songs of that era, such classics, like Abba’s Dancing Queen, John Denver’s Country Roads and any songs from the Smurfshey I was only 5 years old. Once I had mastered the garden hose, I graduated to skipping ropes and hairdryers, then finally the opportunity arose to sing in a real microphone....Continue reading

21.01.2022 Who knew you can hold an AGM via zoom! May we introduce....The SCUNA committee 2021 Imogen Picker - President Oliver Hervir - Vice-President... John Rogers - Treasurer Lachlan Rankin - Secretary Eliza Maher - General Representative Suzannah Ridley - Public Officer and Librarian Congratulations to our wonderful committee and all the best in the next year!!!

20.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 16: Roger "My name is Roger and I am comparatively new to Scuna: I arrived in fear and trembling on 16th October last year, not sure what to expect. I had looked you up on the internet and it said, Just turn up, so I did. This is why.... I went to school in Oxfordshire, UK where I learned the violin and like so many other Scuna members, joined the school choir. Eventually, I left school and went to work...pipe laying gangs in Tonbridge Wells, steel fixi...ng, labouring and lots of other challenging occupations. After a year of this I went to art college, followed by teacher training college where I also learned how to make pots: my girlfriend’s father was a potter working in the French Pyrenees so this seemed normal. After college we went to work with him for an idyllic two years. Back to England where my three children were born and I worked as an art teacher. Because my children’s mum went to a Rudolf Steiner school, my children had to go to one too, despite the fact that the fees were too expensive and we couldn’t afford them. However, if you worked in a Steiner School in the UK you didn’t have to pay fees so I enrolled in a Steiner teacher training course in London where part of the curriculum was singing. We were taught by an inspirational Welsh singing teacher called Anne Ayres. This was a light bulb moment for me! Having finished the course and found work in the Canterbury Steiner school I auditioned for The Canterbury Singers which is a small choir in (surprise!) Canterbury. We sang loads of Bach, Poulenc and lots lots more. A memorable concert was Stravinsky’s mass in Canterbury cathedral with a stunning brass ensemble playing from the great stone arch which spans the choir of the building. Soon afterwards, I moved back to France for a further two years where I worked as a potter in the beautiful village of St. Laurent de Cerdans, near Amelie les Bains. Anyway, having become single, I met my gorgeous Australian wife, Toni, and eventually came to live in Canberra where I spent nine years teaching at Orana Steiner School, before longing to join a choir. The rest, as they say, is history. Thank you for making me welcome. Thank you Matthew for your unfailing patience and good humour."

19.01.2022 https://www.dw.com//aerosolssinging-for-science/av-54565314

18.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 11: John "Unlike most of our number, my musical career has been somewhat less than brilliant. It didn’t start well: my mother taught me nursery rhymes & folk songs. However, what I didn’t discover until she started to do the same for my eldest daughter was that she sang in a monotone & flat. The next hurdle came in primary school when I was six. My voice was always unusually deep (it never broke, just deepened) so, when my teacher lined us up against... the wall & told us to sing, I was one of those to whom she said, You can’t sing. Don’t!. By the way, our songbook contained such simple works as the 18th century pop song Early One Morning & Who is Silvia? (Shakespeare/Schubert) perfect for Grade 1! After that I knew, of course, that I couldn’t sing so it wasn’t worth trying too hard. I sang as required at school (classes, assemblies, church services) but never considered the school choir. I sang enthusiastically at Scout campfires &, later, as a rock climber, in the pubs of North Wales: to hear the climbers in one bar with their skits on pop & folk songs competing with the locals singing hymns in Welsh in the other was really something! At least I enjoyed this singing & no-one tried to stop me, whatever it sounded like. We pass over many years. After the taking a voluntary redundancy from the Public Service, I returned to undergraduate &, then, postgraduate studies. As a PARSA committee member, I found myself reviewing the recommendations for ANU lectures being considered for special merit awards. Among the references for Prof. Susan West of the School of Music was a letter from someone I judged to be about my own age which contained the line When I was in Grade 1 the teacher lined us up against the wall but Prof. West has taught me I CAN sing!. I also discovered Susan ran short courses for school teachers who were not musically trained but needed to lead their classes. I wangled my way into a course & gained the confidence to sing in public. With Susan & her team I regularly sang in a retirement home & assisted in leading singing in schools & retired groups. I also joined SCUNA & Deutsche Harmonie (now unfortunately defunct). I take lessons & still feel I have a long way to go to reach reasonable competence but SCUNA is, thank goodness, an unauditioned choir & chooses a repertoire I enjoy. Just hope you can survive me."

18.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 24: Robyn "I was born in Cowra, New South Wales but only spent a few months there before moving to Wodonga, Victoria. We lived across the road from the preschool and swimming pool. I moved to Canberra with my family in 1965 (perhaps before many of you were born and after the lake was filled). Both my parents enjoyed music and encouraged myself and my 3 siblings to sing. My first vivid memory of singing was at North Curtin primary school. I was in a schoo...Continue reading

14.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 21: Elena "My name is Elena and I’ve been a SCUNA alto for many years. It must have been in the 1990s when I joined the choir after a colleague at the ANU encouraged me to come along and see if I like it. I was hooked from the first rehearsal and still love the music we make, together with the friendly, relaxed atmosphere, which is such a great asset of our choir. As a child I sang in school choirs and learned the piano from the age of six after being s...elected by a music teacher who tested all first grade kids for musical ability. He did this by asking each one of us to sing a tune and repeat a beat pattern he produced by tapping a huge old key on his desk. We also sang a lot at home around the piano, especially at Christmas and birthday celebrations. I still remember my aunt’s metallic soprano voice singing Songs my mother taught me by Antonín Dvoák. I came to Australia from Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) after the Warsaw Pact armies, under the direction of the USSR, invaded my country on 21st of August 1968, trampling all over our newly found socialism with a human face. Alas, we soon realized that Prague Spring was an impossible dream. A dark period of normalization soon began to wreak havoc among the pro-reform enthusiastic young Czechs. Moscow swiftly secured strict command and control over Czech politicians, so our little country had no chance to defend itself. I felt helpless, as if I had nothing to do there any more. It seemed the right time to leave, despite the immense pain of leaving behind my parents, sister, and my studies at the University of Purkyne in Brno. Many young Czechs left in 1968 after crossing the Iron Curtain to Austria. The border was open for a few months following the invasion. The Czech border guards simply left the gates open before the Soviets put a stop to it. Choosing Australia was easy the Australian Embassy in Vienna had wonderful posters of Queensland beaches on the walls. Seriously, the prospect of settling in a beautiful young country with a well established democratic system seemed like a dream. Those of us who came to Australia arrived under the auspices of the UNHCR, penniless and traumatized, but optimistic about our future. In Australia I was busy with raising a family before going back to university study. My two children now live in Sydney and I’m lucky to have five musically gifted grandchildren. My thanks to all members for being so friendly, Soraya for being a wonderful president and Matthew for sharing with us his superb musicianship." See more

14.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 10: Calvin "Hello everyone! Brace yourself in mittens and thick blankets, Winter has finally arrived in Canberra! This is Calvin, one of your enthusiastic committee members of SCUNA! I’m an undergraduate student for Advanced Computing and Business Administration, and I’ve been lurking around the University for 4.5 years. I joined SCUNA during the start of my third year. I was born in Hong Kong and lived there half of my life. I spoke mainly Cantonese but... I learned English as well since I attended an International school. One fun fact about Hong Kong: we sell a kind of street food called stinky tofu, and quite literally it smells. Regardless, Hong Kong is never a bad place for good food, no really. Ever since I was little, I’ve had some experience with music. In my third year of kindergarten, I was introduced to violin by my parents, and then to choir because these clubs were closely related. I was a part of the school orchestra and choir for many years with occasional performances. Since performances were often joint between the two clubs, sometimes I had to manoeuvre around the stage during the performance to switch roles! Around 7 years later, I achieved a grade 8 violin certificate. It’s always been tough for me to stand in front of an audience, but I’ve learned to become more comfortable after all the experiences. After reaching year 7 and up until 2019, I switched focus to drama and sports. In a Japan trip in late 2018, I met an exchange student from ANU, and we joined SCUNA together during semester. Thanks to all the friendly SCUNA members, we had a great time singing and I have been part of the club ever since, despite my friend leaving Australia since. I love the fun rehearsals and the casual environment that make choir so welcoming and relaxing to be a part of. Singing along with everyone brings back my nostalgia. Oh, before I go, I’m currently working on a nice little surprise for SCUNA! It’s a little refresh on something that we’ve been looking to update for a long time (like a really long time). I hope I will be able to show everyone the result soon! That’s all I have to say today, hope everyone stays warm and stays indoors. Thank you for listening to my ted talk :’) Calvin" See more

14.01.2022 Great to see former SCUNA conductor Leonard Weiss thriving at the Peabody conservatory - we're proud of you, Lenny!

13.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 22: Soraya "I’m originally from Switzerland, but didn’t grow up there. My parents’ jobs meant that we had to move frequently, so I’ve never lived in the same country for more than 4 years. I came to Canberra after finishing year 12 in Costa Rica, to start my Biology undergrad at ANU. I joined SCUNA in my second year of uni, at the start of 2018. I remember sneaking in to the come-and-try rehearsal to get some free garlic bread, and immediately striking u...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 18: Steven "Hi all! I am Steven Strach. You may have noticed me relishing the low notes in the bass section of the choir. I have been a member of SCUNA since 1992 and believe that I am the longest continuous member of the group. Apart from the current unfortunate hiatus, it continues to be a pleasure to be a regular part of this diverse and friendly singing group. Music has always been an important part of my life both as a listener and a performer. I ...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 27: Mardi "I spent my first 12 years in Sydney, one of 4 children. My mother played the piano vigorously and loved listening to her large collection of records. When we were very young she introduced us to classical music including Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. To manage my asthma, I spent my high school years at boarding school in Moss Vale in the Southern Highlands. At the ti...me I didn't appreciate the twice daily Chapel services, but I developed a love of the hymns and singing with others. I studied history and English literature at ANU in the 70's and lived at Burton Hall as it was then. I sang with SCUNA for a couple of terms but was not involved in any performances. I remember every rehearsal the whole choir had to stand in a long line! Why did we do that? After marrying we moved to Wagga Wagga where we lived for 28 years and I taught at TAFE. Returning to Canberra I worked at CIT and joined the Canberra Union Voices where we performed songs of peace and social justice and sang at Folk Festivals. After a few years I wanted to sing more serious music so in 2009 with some nervousness, joined SCUNA again... it's been amazing. Highlights of SCUNA for me include the delight of hearing Anthony play the piano, the big sound we make and the connection with others I feel when singing together. I love the classical music repertoire and the fun of a performance. As the result of an operation, I became deaf in my right ear, however by sitting on the right hand side of the Alto's I can hear the other singers. I look forward to getting together again eventually and putting into practice what we've learned from Matt about Faure's Requiem. See more

11.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No.17: Man-Ting "I’ve been part of SCUNA for almost two years now, since my second semester at ANU. I come from a small subtropical country, Taiwan. I grew up and went to school on the main island of Taiwan. However, my family is from Peng-hu, an outlying Island where my grandparents still live: full of beaches, seabirds, seafood, sunshine, and family history. After living in Canberra for more than two years, I miss the ocean and its smell A LOT - when I visi...ted the NSW beach town Kiama in 2019, I almost burst into tears! Before I came to Australia, I studied anthropology and ethnomusicology in Taiwan. Last year, I graduated from ANU with a master’s degree in Museum and Heritage Studies and I’m now working as an archive officer at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). My relationship with music started long before my study in ethnomusicology. I started learning percussion as a 4 year-old because Taiwanese parents believe that children who learn music would not go bad. Although I had played the piano for 12 years until I went to Taipei for university, I spent most of the time serving as a pianist in the church and have never taken piano examinations. I believe that is why I still keep my passion for music until now! Both of my parents are choir members - Soprano and Bass. We sing a lot at home and they can recognize my mood through the music. I have been part of choirs for more than 20 years, singing both soprano and alto. I spent lots of time in the National Taiwan University Chorus (NTUChorus, it’s amazing), to the point where my parents started wondering whether I was studying music or anthropology (then I combined the two - ethnomusicology!) Before I came to Canberra, the first thing I did was to search for a choir. However, I didn’t join SCUNA in my first semester - I thought I wouldn’t have time to sing because of my high study load. But at the end of first semester I was very upset. I found that music had become part of my life and that, if I didn’t keep singing, life would become empty. Singing Alto is always challenging yet brings me a great sense of accomplishment. I’ve always enjoyed the harmony and the feeling of singing as one, and I used to focus on the professional skills on stage. But SCUNA teaches me more: the choir is where people get together with the same interest and share life, and the music brings everyone’s hearts closer. I still remember when I met Mardi and Gwenyth at my very first rehearsal. Their warm greetings and sincere concerns make me feel the love of family. I just got married on 11th July and I’m sad to say that I might move to Sydney in the near future (maybe early next year) because my husband found a job there. It would be really disappointing not to sing with you again due to COVID-19. The pandemic stops rehearsals but the music will go on :) " See more

09.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No.12: Imogen"Hi everyone! I hope you are all well and managing without SCUNA rehearsals! My name is Imogen and I am a second year Law/Arts student. I am originally from Canberra, but I moved to Brisbane when I was eight. I find it amusing I have now returned to Canberra to study. It's hard to identify what my earliest memory of music is. My dad used to sing to me when I was little to get me to go to sleep and to this day I get drowsy when I hear certain son...gs. I think that instilled a love of music from a very young age and I still find singing a great way to distract myself from the chaos of everyday life. I joined my first choir in primary school, and they’ve been a constant part of my life ever since. I also took up the flute and was my primary school band captain. It doesn’t seem much now, but it was a matter of great pride to me to be able to conduct the ensemble of 8-11 year olds in our slightly out of tune renditions of the national anthem at assembly. As I progressed to high school, I entered more auditioned choirs and was a member of the Australian Youth Choir for a little while and it was a wonderful experience. It taught me more of the technical elements to singing that really helped me develop. I was also lucky enough to be a part of a group of high school students invited to sing with the University of Queensland Chorale at a couple of their concerts. That introduced me to a whole realm of classical singing that I hadn’t experienced before. It wasn’t until then that I fully appreciated the voice as an instrument and the professionalism one can take to singing. Joining SCUNA was almost inevitable. I remember my choir conductor telling us at our final performance in grade 12 that no matter where we end up if singing brought us joy then to join a choir. Before I even moved back to Canberra, I knew I would follow through on that instruction, it was just a matter of which choir. I’m so grateful I found SCUNA. It is a delight to sing with people from throughout the community who all share the same love for singing that I do. I really look forward to our Wednesday evening rehearsals and find them a great reminder of what I really enjoy, and that life is more than uni it’s hard to remember that sometimes! Hopefully, we are back in Llewellyn again soon! Stay safe and warm!"

09.01.2022 One to aspire to!

08.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 28: George Lindsay "My earliest musical memories were formed whilst sitting next to my grandfather in the beautiful Great Synagogue of Sydney. He would often take me on the high holy days with the aim of injecting me with a sense of religious identity and awe for the universal deities that be. Although the antiquarian ritual proceedings weren’t quite my cup of tea, my early experiences listening to the synagogue’s cantor chant hauntingly modal Hebrew mel...odies heavenward gave way to my two lifelong passions: music and language. I sang in choirs throughout my years at school. When I was in Year 8, male singers in my high school choir were dwindling. A friend and I approached our music teacher with the bold prospect of forming a male singing group to encourage more boys to invest in the lifelong joy of singing. Within six months the new male vocal group grew from three members to twenty. In order to attract our social media savvy cohort to the choir, we named the group #Men. There was much confusion and debate as to whether this was pronounced Hashtag Men or Sharp Men and to this day I am still unsure what the real name of the choir was. Despite our flaws in terms of general nomenclature, #Men secured second place in our first time competing in the Northern Beaches Choir Eisteddfod, an achievement we were most proud of. This year, I transferred from Macquarie University to the ANU to continue my studies in Linguistics. I first came across SCUNA on market day during O-Week. Once I got my head around the acronym, the language nerd in me was delighted to discover that we would be singing Fauré’s Requiem in Latin! What I loved about coming to SCUNA was that it was an opportunity to sing with people of all age groups. I felt immediately at peace amid the mélange of voices both young and old, and long to be back in the rehearsal space once Covid-19 restrictions ease. My interests in music and language have always worked in tandem in bringing joy to my life. To many people’s surprise, the majority of the music I sing and listen to isn’t in English, and the lyrics of the songs I find myself listening to assist in my (often futile) endeavours to teach myself foreign languages. Recently I have discovered the elegance and beauty of traditional Scottish acapella known as ‘Puirt-A-Beul’ (meaning mouth music). As a result, I have started to teach myself Scottish Gaelic so that I may sing these complex melodies with greater authenticity. Thus, I’ll leave you all with a Gaelic proverb which I think sums up SCUNA’s survival during the pandemic quite aptly: Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal, ach mairidh gaol is ceòl. (The world may end, but love and music last forever.)."

07.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 20: Oli "My name is Oliver, or Oli for short, and I’m a second-year student studying science! Although I’m mostly studying biology and chemistry, I’m super interested in physics. Really, I’m interested in any area of science that relates to medicine, for example the physics behind MRI machines, or the biology/ chemistry behind drugs. That said, I don’t know what I want to do after my bachelor degree I’m interested in studying medicine, but also in doin...g a PhD. I’ve got some time to think about it, so I’m not too worried. I’m originally from Sydney, and am now living in an on-campus residence at ANU. I really enjoyed residence last year and at the start of this year, but after coming back from quarantine (I went home to stay with my family), it’s had a slightly different less social vibe. My first interaction with music was learning to play violin at the age of 5 and piano at the age of 7. I was never particularly good at either of them, and especially hated practicing the violin because I sounded so bad! I joined a junior school choir when I was 9, which is when I fell in love with singing. I’ve been singing continuously since then (so for 11 years now). In high school, I sang as part of an acapella group and I sang Verdi’s requiem with the Sydney Philharmonic choir which was an amazing experience. In deciding to come to ANU I had already researched the choirs here and thought that I’d be a perfect match for SCUNA! I joined at the beginning of last year, at the O-week market day stall, and have enjoyed singing with the choir ever since even if I’m not always able to make it to rehearsals. Last year I also conducted my college choir, in a competition that was judged by Matt! It was a very interesting change conducting a choir rather than just singing in one, and it certainly forced me to improve my sense of rhythm and melody I even learnt a thing or two from the way Matt conducted SCUNA! I love being a part of SCUNA, not only because I enjoy singing and the sense of calm it provides, but also because of the cool venues in which we sing. The Botswana High Commission last year was a standout for me. I’m hoping we can get back to rehearsals and performing as soon possible!"

05.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 26: Stephen "My time at Shore was suffused with the world of Anglican church music - anthems for each day of the year, mostly from the 18th century, and hymns, mostly ancient, accompanying twice weekly (compulsory) services in a small chapel sympathetic to their musical settings, accompanied by a competent organist, Englishman John Winstanley on exchange as music master (to a school where the subject had lapsed over the years outside of its ecclesiastica...l function) In my second highschool year I was recruited to a scratch choir to premier a Peter Maxwell Davies piece at the 1964 Adelaide festival, We were aso to provide the choir for the Australian premier of Britten's war Requiem - with its soaring treble injunction: Te decet hymnus. In the course of rehearsing, I have a clear memory of us crowding into the otherwise underused music room with PMD at the piano and manuscript, with working title 4 Seasons scratched out (as it had been unfortunately taken) My musical education had started several years before this at the hands of the mercurial Victor MacMahon director of school music in NSW, He had introduced the Bflat flute to schools, and travelled around coaching simple tunes from these wonderful instruments- we were all issued one, and ended up marching down Hyde Park, with sashes and caps - after assimilating the primers that he had written, and his injunctions to concentrate on the rests (hardest notes to play) . We were competing against numerous other schools performing a medley of british airs that still rings in my ears. Sadly following the excitement of singing before a festival public - 2 years into its existence - and attending some of the other offerings through the generosity of my host and aunt, a passionate Adelaidean, music slid away to be reawakened some umpteen years later by my daughter who thought my joining Scuna was a good wheeze to ensure a lift home from rehearsals. She like many freshers went on to taste other things soon after. I stayed...and stayed. Scuna has been a source of enjoyment and exploration, my singng in the bass section has advanced from scratchy to tolerable (self-assessed); and the evolving repertoire, direction and company keeps me engaged. Still the biggest challenge is collectively offering an experience to the paying public that makes it worthwhile for them to come out, the greatest reward being among people who live and breathe music making. Comment on photo: This pose unintentionally mirrors that of my great grandfather Edward Twynam- with his grand daughter (my aunt) Joan outside his home in Goulburn in 1914. Edward must have had a well exercised voice judging by a Hayden's Creation choral score that has reached us, and a copy of the minstrelsy of England I don't think he supported hawthorn though."

05.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 25: Alma "Hello! I’m Alma and I’m one of the newer members of SCUNA, only started this year. This is also my first year in Canberra and at ANU. Despite the current situation I’m really enjoying life in Canberra. I think some people (presumably Canberrans) call Canberra Australia’s best kept secret and I wholeheartedly agree. I love being able to walk 10 minutes from my apartment in Braddon and find myself at the foot of mount Ainslie surrounded by nat...ure and many wallabies. I’m Spanish and Dutch but I’ve been in Australia since 2007 (more than half of my life) and can also proudly call myself Australian. I’m currently studying a graduate diploma of Computing, but my background is in biomedical science. I took this year almost as a gap year, an opportunity to study something new, before hopefully getting into postgraduate Medicine. I’m really hoping that next year I’ll be studying medicine here, that way I can keep being a part of SCUNA. Onto the music! Music interested me from the very beginning, my mother likes to recount how I sung all the time. I was, and still am, a naturally early riser whereas my mother is not. She cleverly convinced me at an early age that when I woke up at ungodly hours, I could just sing and entertain myself instead of loudly crying and disrupting her sleep. From then on, I’ve been involved in various choirs and bands. Piano is my main instrument, but I learned to play a little bit of saxophone just to be able to involve myself in school and theatre bands. However, during my bachelor’s degree all of my non-science related passions took a back seat. I realised that this wasn’t what I wanted and came into my gap year at ANU certain that I would participate in university societies, and definitely join a choir. Enter SCUNA. For the few weeks that SCUNA ran this year I was super excited to be able to sing in a group again. Unfortunately for me I managed to miss the last 2 rehearsals, one because I was sick, and the next because my bike broke on the way in. I hope to be able to attend another rehearsal and sing with you all again, but regardless I’ve enjoyed my time in SCUNA and am very much enjoying the zoom sessions on Faure." See more

01.01.2022 Human of SCUNA No. 13: Lola "Hi, my name is Lola McKinnon and I'm an Alto! My choral life started being part of my primary school choir. I grew up on the South Coast of NSW in a village called Tomerong and everyone had to be part of the choir because there were fewer than 40 students in the whole school. A few years later, my father heard the Nowra Town Band was looking for new members so I joined and learnt the trumpet for a short time and then changed to trombone! My ma...in claim to fame playing the trombone is that I came 2nd in the Eisteddfod playing 'Because'. The other person competing in the section came first! My playing the trombone didn't last past high school. After high school, I moved to Canberra and spent many years working at the National Archives in various roles in the IT area. At a Christmas Party, I heard Archivally Sound (the Archives workplace choir) perform, and I wanted to start singing again! I enjoyed singing with Archivally Sound so much that when Lynda Weller (musical director of Archivally Sound and a SCUNA soprano) talked of SCUNA I turned up in 2009 and have been here ever since. I really enjoyed the variety of programming under Jonathan Powles, which included large works like Verdi Requiem and also modern works by Ann Boyd and Ruth Lee Martin. Having had Matt lead us on occasion during Jonathan's tenure, I’m thrilled that Matt is once again leading us (since we couldn’t keep Lenny). My appreciation of SCUNA would not be complete without mentioning our repetiteur, Anthony Smith. His musical knowledge, ability to pick up where 'something isn't quite working' and suggest fixes, and witty yet obscure interjections! Since retiring from work and my favourite sport, hockey, I’ve taken up hiking and have done a 4-day walk of the Great Ocean Road (Victoria), a 4-day walk in Yuragir National Park (north coast of NSW) and am currently planning my first ‘overnight’ walk (carrying everything we need) with my sister to hopefully take place in September in Qld. I look forward to catching up with all SCUNA choristers when we can once again sing (safely) together." See more