Deborah Martin's blog

Weekly rehearsals have resumed for 2023, and Circular Keys Chorus is back in full swing preparing for this year’s busy schedule of events. But like a dynamo that never actually winds down, CKC still had plenty of engagements to attend to over the Christmas-New Year break.

The Chorus sang Christmas carols at several festivals in December – including events at Kenthurst Park, Blacktown Civic Plaza and Martin Place Sydney. The City of Sydney performances are always a highlight, singing under the enormous sparkling Christmas tree and helping to create the magical aura that draws in thousands of parents and their mesmerised children each year.

Even the stormy July weather was no match for the radiant warmth being generated at the ‘Sing and Shine’ family concert and graduation ceremony, held on Sunday 17^th July in the chapel of St Josephs Baulkham Hills. The winter sun was coaxed out from behind the relentless rain clouds and gave us a glorious day to mark the culmination of the six-week course in barbershop singing.

Fourteen fabulous women graduated from the course where they studied the finer points of barbershop singing, breath support, ear training and good vocal technique. The concert included two new songs which were learnt as part of the course – I Will Survive and All The Things You Are – as well as several favourites from the CKC repertoire.

What a pain it has been

What a nightmarish scene

Why, it’s almost like:

‘Hey, so what’s new?’

Yes, after two years of disruptions, restrictions and endless re-arrangements, there isn’t much left that can faze the CKC chorus members. So when Sydney was deluged with record-breaking rain and flash flooding over the last few weeks, we took it in our stride without missing a beat. These days, Zoom meetings are just another string to our ‘new normal’ bow, and we can switch from one arrangement to another like a team of change management experts – which is exactly what we’ve become.

CKC sang Christmas carols on the steps of Sydney Town Hall last night to help City of Sydney launch Christmas in the City.  If you missed us, you can catch us again on Saturday, 30th November and Sunday, 15th December, somewhere in the Sydney CBD.

We're thrilled to have achieved third place in the Sweet Adelines Harmony Classic competition for small choruses in St Louis. We performed the plan, our audience laughed in all the right places, and our judges stopped writing and looked up to watch us.  Feedback from our audience was all positive. We're so proud of our Director, Vicki, our chorus, and everyone who helped us get there.