We had to wait until Term 4, but on Saturday, November 2nd, 2024, the choir finally performed at the annual Massed Choir Festival. It was held at the mammoth HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont for the first time.
Usually a sports arena, but rearranged to accommodate up to 500 students on the stage all at once, the HBF stadium held the Massed Choir well. The audience had a great view of the stage, and the sound of the students singing with live instruments gave us all goosebumps.
Man Yu, our very own head girl, was chosen to be one of the evening’s comperes, a highly prestigious position never attained by a Forest Crescent Primary student before.
The concert began with the rock classic Living On A Prayer. During the performance, the audience recognised a few other tunes: A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman, Surface Pressure from the movie Encanto, and Sir Duke, a Stevie Wonder classic.
Other songs performed were works by Australian composers, in particular, the commissioned work for 2024 called On a Wing and a Prayer by Paul Jarman. The song tells the harrowing tale of two men, Hans Bertram, the pilot, and Adolf Klausmann, the mechanic, from Germany. In 1932, they flew out of Cologne, Germany, on an around-the-world flight attempt. They endured a storm in the Timor Sea and were forced to land in a remote coastal area near Wyndham. After 5 weeks of being stranded and close to death, they were rescued by members of the Balanggarra tribe who were Aboriginal fishermen. Like the tale, the song was full of ups and downs but set the scene for retelling such an amazing story that occurred in our very own state of WA.
The Massed Choir Festival will be held at the HBF stadium until the Perth Concert Hall refurbishment is completed.
We look forward to 2025, a new set of songs to learn, and another fantastic year for the Forest Crescent Primary School Choir.
written by Ms Rebekah Britten (image taken during rehearsals on the concert day)
