The Maleny Singers
The Singers began in 2003 with our aims being:
To give its members the opportunity to sing and perform together
To perform works in production providing enjoyment for its members and the community at large
To sing at community events – Australia Day, Anzac Day and whenever else appropriate
Our original committee was Alan Caradine, (President), Judith Caradine, Mike Norman, Greg Whiteman, Margaret Taylor (Musical Director).
In 2003, The Maleny Singers was conceived to sing Christmas Carols for the community along with a Festival of Lessons and Carols in the Uniting Church with well known local personalities reading the lessons. We combined with the Sunshine Coast Orchestra the following year to help raise money for the Rural Fire Brigade, with a concert at the Showgrounds Pavilion. It was decided to expand the repertoire and the Singers began to perform entire shows in costume and with piano accompaniment. We chose mostly Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta’s at that time as they were very popular and easy to facilitate. In 2008, for the first time, the Singers were accompanied by a small orchestra of about 16 players which has grown to 22 players. The range of works then grew to include Offenbach (Orpheus in the Underworld), and then more ambitiously the ever popular Merry Widow by Lehar.
The Maleny Singers were by now firmly established as a force to be reckoned with! Individual soloists were becoming more professional in their approach, and the ensemble more confident with new singers in the wings waiting for a chance to join the group. The following year we performed Die Fledermaus by J Strauss. After a very good production of Pirates of Penzance in June 2015, we returned in October of that year to perform Merry England twice in Maleny and once in Woombye – again to raise money for the Maleny Fire Brigade. The following year we returned to Offenbach for La Belle Helene and in the same year gave 3 performances of Bizet’s Carmen in which Margaret Taylor handed over the baton to guest conductor David Gee from Armidale whilst Margaret sang the title role. The Singers continued in the grand opera genre the next year with a production of the Magic Flute.
Two more years of G&S then in the October of the second year we put on 3 performances of a specially reduced Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. This was in conjunction with The Rotary Club of Maleny to raise money for selected Rotary charities and was a tremendous success. Last year saw a second production of The Gondoliers and this year to date the Singers are well into rehearsals for The Yeomen of the Guard. As we all know this has been postponed from June until a date yet to be decided. Watch this space – you will be informed!
Since 2003 and under the direction of Margaret Taylor we have donated well over $60,000 to local establishments including the Rural Fire Brigade, the Soldiers Memorial Hospital, The School Chaplaincy, The Range Care, The Salvation Army, and the Neighbourhood Centre. All this is in addition to continuing, although now in a different format, the Carols at Christmas – which is where it all began. Please follow our news on Facebook.
