Wollongong’s city centre may resemble a scene from Pitch Perfect early November with the biannual chOir-tly LOUD festival returning for a third year.
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Choirs from around NSW and interstate will pop up around the city with jazz, blues and pop tunes for 50 performances at 13 venues including cafes, North Beach and the Arts Precinct. Plus watch out for a 300 voice flash mob at some point during the three-day event.
“Typically choral festivals will have choirs performing to a given audience in a hall and I haven't done that, I really wanted to take the performances out to community,” founder Louise Meyrick said.
Cabaret quartet Lady Sings It Better joins human beat-box group Suade Vocaltronics as the headliners of the festival, performing at a ticketed concert at Wollongong Town Hall on November 4.
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Fifteen community choirs and five school choirs will be taking part, most of them curated without audition. This means their members vocal ability may vary but Ms Meyrick believes many people will be surprised by the sound quality these groups produce.
“Choirs attract a lot of people who just want to participate that don’t have the competence or confidence to do it by themselves and they become excellent,” she said.
The festival began in 2013 thanks for Ms Meyrick’s passion to celebrate and share a cappella music with the community at large.
This year it runs from November 4 to 6. For more information visit: www.choir-tlyloud.org
WHAT’S ON:
Friday November 3
- Friday Song – a FREE concert showcasing a variety of groups and choirs, Crown Street Mall stage, 11:30am – 2pm..
- Dinner performances – FREE pop-up performances at Litani’s, Cosa Nostra, Halong Bay, Turkish Paradise and Centro CBD – 7:30pm – 8:15pm.
Saturday November 4
- Good Morning Wollongong – FREE pop-up performances on the grass next to Diggies Kiosk at North Beach and near Le Vendi at Belmore Basin, 8:45am – 10:30am.
- Storm of Song – FLASH MOB, Crown Street Mall, 11am.
- Suade Vocaltronics & Lady Sings It Better – concert at Wollongong Town Hall, 7:30pm, tickets adult: $49.90+ bf child U12: $20+bf conc: $34.90+bf www.merrigong.com.au
Sunday November 5
- Choral Jamboree – FREE concert – a joyous finale to festivities, with each group performing one or two songs, at the Arts Precinct in front of IPAC, 9:30am – 11am.