It was a typical Melbourne Winters day. The sun was shining and the temperature hovered around 13 degrees. It was going to be a good day for The Melbournaires Harmony Chorus after all. Preparations and rehearsals for its first concert at its new home, St Peter & St Pauls, were completed and the big day had arrived.

With several new songs to be given their first public airing and accompanying instruments at the ready for specific numbers, including California Dreaming and Africa (where some members reverted to their primevil past to engage in jungle noises for effect) the chorus stood ready to welcome its guests, many of whom would be experiencing the euphoric harmonies for the first time.  Being a ticketed event, the chorus knew to expect around 200 guests, and sure enough, right on time, they began to trickle in. This was followed by a medium surge, then an almost overwhelming torrent, then back to the initial trickle as the stragglers filled in the empty seats. In Barbershop, this phenomenon is known as dynamics that add interest and meaning.

Included on the concert programme were a number of quartets, and our resident joker, Andrew Wright, who kept the audience engaged in a comic relief act, with his history of Barbershop and its beginnings.
Our perennial MC and favorite son John Baker, was a strangely unfamiliar face in the chorus, due to the successful cultivation of grey (God bless him!) facial hair, enhancing his reputation as an erudite gentleman.

While our regular MD Ian Lushey, was enjoying the hospitality of the Irish, our very competent no.2 MD David Durrant was in charge for the day. The chorus President John Webb had returned from overseas that morning, and to his eternal credit turned up to listen, having found a backrow seat, where the effects of jet-lag would probably go unnoticed. In fact he took in the entire concert and was very impressed with the performances, as was the audience as a whole. Its interaction with the acts and appreciation over-all were most encouraging and well justified.

The Melbournaires would like to wish every participating chorus and quartet, a most enjoyable if not successful Adelaide Convention.

Terry Phillips