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SCUNA History 1963-1988:
The University Consort:
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1971: The SCUNA Version

In 1971, when the Consort ceased to operate,1 SCUNA conductor Ayis Ioannides was given permission to use the name "The University Consort" for the SCUNA small group. Consort members Kath Walker and Laurie Murchison joined the new group. It performed at one St Paul's Organ Fund concert, but doesn't appear to have survived into 1972.

The following photograph, from my own collection, was taken at the end of 1971 at the Balcony Room. It shows the [SCUNA] University Consort at a farewell dinner for Julian and me just before we left for London.

1971smallgroup (54K)
Standing, L to R: Gwyneth Ioannides, Philip Thomas; Kath Walker, Brian Hingerty
Seated, L to R: Mark Hyman, Sue Baldwin, Richard Dixon, Val Thomson (then Brown), Julian Brown, Annabel Wheeler, Laurie Murchison, Dorelle Pinch, George Garnsey

1977 - 1978: The reconvened Consort

"The University Consort reconvened in 1977 but was finally wound up in 1978 with the departure of its Director, Geoffrey Brennan."2

14 July 1977 - Bastille Day concert - Advertisement

Canberra Times advertisement for the Consort's Bastille Day concert

Transcription

UNIVERSITY CONSORT
presents a

BASTILLE DAY CONCERT

at the Alliance Francaise
66 McCaughey St, Turner

DEBUSSY RAVEL RAMEAU, etc

8.15pm Thursday, July 14

$2 and $1 at door


Source: Advertising. (1977, July 13). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 21. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110854569. The ad also appeared on Saturday 9 July 1977.

14 July 1977 - Bastille Day concert - Review

Transcription follows

Canberra Times review of the Consort's Bastille Day concert

Transcription

LIFESTYLE
TV - ARTS - ENTERTAINMENT
MUSIC By W. L. HOFFMANN

Vitality, variety from University Consort

BASTILLE DAY was celebrated in the pleasantest possible way last Thursday night with a musical program predominantly French presented by the University Consort at the Alliance Francaise, Turner.

Additionally, it marked the return to the active musical life of Canberra of the University Consort, a body that, between 1967 and 1971, made a significant contribution to the local musical scene. It was a pleasure to welcome it back with an almost new body of singers, but under the direction of Geoffrey Brennan, one of its original members.

It has been revived as part of the development of the ANU Arts Centre.

Attractive

The program opened with three short and attractive secular 'chansons' by the 16th century master, Clement Janequin, followed later by his celebrated "program-chanson" titled 'La Guerre' composed in 1515 to celebrate the French victory at the Battle of Marignano. Its vivid word-painting of trumpet-fanfares, drum-beats and battle noises was well conveyed.

The 'Trois Chansons' of Maurice Ravel were composed exactly four centuries later, in 1915; but although they were also written in war-time, they are much more delicate, though still vivid in their word-painting. Two of these charming 'chansons' were performed: 'Nicolette' with its light coquetry, and the tender 'Three fair birds of Paradise'.

To match these Ravel pieces nothing could be more suitable than the 'Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans' of Debussy, also for unaccompanied mixed voices, but composed a few years earlier in 1908. Again these look back in form to the earlier French 'Chanson' although they are modern in harmony, and peculiarly Debussian in texture and colour.

Stylish

There was plenty of vitality and variety in the singing, and all of these pieces, old and modern, were stylishly sung. There is a place in Canberra for a first-class vocal consort, and with a little more time to gain greater assurance of ensemble and a closer balance of voices the University Consort will most effectively fill this spot.

Interludes in the program were provided by Deborah Cox, who played Debussy's 'Syrinx' for solo flute, by Paul Thom who offered a 'Suite from the French lutenists' arranged for harpsichord, and by soprano Janet Healy who sang four 'Arias' from Rameau operas with flute and harpsichord accompaniment. Altogether a program of considerable charm and accomplishment.

Source: LIFE STYLE. (1977, July 16). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 14. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110855104

6 August 1977 - Concert - Advertisement

Canberra Times advertisement for the concert on Saturday 6 August 1977

Transcription

The University Consort
and Mr Paul Thom

present

Musick Sacred & Profane
by

John Blow & Henry Purcell

St Philip's Church, O'Connor

Saturday, August 6, 8.15pm

Admission $3 and $1

Bookings 494787


Source: Advertising. (1977, August 3). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 42. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110857902. The ad also appeared on Saturday 6 August 1977.

13 November 1977 - Concert with the Lieder Society - Advertisement

Canberra Times advertisement for the Lieder Society concert on 13 November 1977

Transcription

THE A.C.T. LIEDER SOCIETY presents
A program of

POETRY AND SONG

Poetry of John Donne, James Mcauley and Gwen Harwood read by Mr Tony Staley.
Songs from The University Consort, Joan Richards and Brian Dowling accompanied by Alan Jenkins.
At 8.15 on Sunday, November 13 at the Chancery of The Italian Embassy 12 Grey St., Deakin.
Wine and Cheese will be served in the interval.
Admission by program $5
ENQUIRIES 958123


Source: Advertising. (1977, November 12). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 23. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110877738

13 November 1977 - Concert with the Lieder Society - Review

Canberra Times review of the Lieder Society concert

Transcription

MUSIC by JOHN SMALL

Congenial night of verse, music

ACT Lieder Society concert, Chancelry of the Italian Embassy, Sunday.

The concert given on Sunday night by the Lieder Society was unusual in several ways.

It had an exceptionally high proportion of compositions by Australian composers, including music by a Canberra resident; the quality of the Australian works was consistently good, and did not require any tacit allowances to be made for the local product; the music was interspersed with verse readings - a congenial arrangement that deserves to be more widely used; and one of the performers was a Federal politician.

The concert suffered from the fact that the chancellery's acoustics are not really suitable for concerts. The treble sound is remarkably dry, and mercilessly exposed vocal blemishes that most concert halls would have camouflaged. Lower sounds, however, set up a big reverberant rumble that made Tony Staley's voice more than usually sepulchral and gave the piano sound a boomy juke-box colour.

Because of these problems, it was not always easy to work out how the performances might have sounded under other conditions.

The locally written work was a group of five pieces by Wilfred Holland for unaccompanied choir, sung by the University Consort. As an experienced choral conductor, Holland has a thorough knowledge of the possibilities of choral sound. These admirable settings exploit the resources of the small choir very adroitly in their varied and colourful handling of the words. It was interesting to note that these pieces did not suffer at all by being contrasted with a group of songs by a much better-known composer, Dorian Le Gallienne.

Bryan Dowling's performance of Le Gallienne's best-known work, four settings for voice and piano of verses by Donne, showed that Le Gallienne was a composer of considerable stature, with an outstanding command of word-setting, and a well-developed dramatic sense. Dowling's big, rich voice and Alan Jenkins' accomplished piano accompaniment made this group of songs one of the high points of the evening.

Joan Richards included two Le Gallienne settings in her bracket of songs - a Shakespeare sonnet and an immensely appealing 'Solveig's Song' along with two Malcolm Williamson pieces. The only non-Australian music on the program was the group of Jacobean madrigals that opened the program, and which the University Consort sang with great assurance.

Tony Staley began his verse readings with a distinctly parsonical delivery that made him sound for a while like Dean Drear reading the lesson. He improved as the evening went on, and achieved a degree of animation in the verses by Harwood and Macauley, but without quite despelling the impression that the Lieder Society probably accepted his offer to take part in the concert more because of his political prominence than because of any special skills that he has as a verse reader.


Source: MUSIC Congenial night of verse, music. (1977, November 15). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 10. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110878011

5 & 6 May 1978 - Mad George Night - Publicity

Excerpt - transcription follows

Canberra Times publicity for the Mad George Night

Excerpt - Transcription

THE WORLD OF THEATRE by KEN HEALEY

An appetite-whetting invitation to a Thom music-theatre concoction

Amid all the recent flurry of amateur dramatic activity there has arrived on my desk an appetite-whetting invitation to an evening of musical theatre concocted by someone who can be described only as a university wit. Who but Paul Thom would be likely to disturb Canberra's slumbers by issuing the following invitation, which I reproduce verbatim?

'On the Occasion of Dr Geoffrey Brennan's Departure for the US, STAGE presents 'Fit for a King' (A mad George Night).

'Dr Brennan, Dr Gorringe, Mrs Bogg and Mrs Sim will render several Favourite and Humorous Songs, Dialogues and Choruses; Accompanied Vociferously by Mr Thom and a Choice Band; While Patrons indulge their Appetites for Roast Beef and Claret; All in the Presence of His Majesty Mr Dowling. Entertainments by Mr Mawer, Mrs Waterhouse and Mrs Stoyles. Patrons will be required both to enrich the Rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus, and to enliven the bawdier Ballads by means of their active Participation'.

Roast beef

There follows some information about location (Childers Street Hall), tickets ($5 including a meal of roast beef and vegetables), dates (next Friday and Saturday nights) and the rather startling announcement that dress should be 'According to your political Preferences'. Incidentally, tickets can be booked at the ANU Union shop, or by phoning 812684 or 822447.

Departure

The occasion for the extraordinary goings-on at Childers Street at the end of next week is the imminent departure of Geoffrey Brennan for a Chair of Economics at Virginia State University. During his 17 years' association with ANU Geoffrey Brennan has never had an organisation like SUDS in Sydney or OUDS at Oxford to provide a university forum for his outstanding talent.

So, at times when Brennan has not been engaged in serious musical activity such as singing in the ANU's University Consort, or Sydney's Leonine Consort, or indulging his secret passion for the songs of Gerald Finzi, he has been likely to turn up in some outlandish entertainment devised by Paul Thom for the intermittently existing group Stage, and performed amid the quaint squalor that is Childers Street Hall.

Songs

It is to mark the end of this era that Paul Thom has invited you and me to come to 'Fit for a King'. Among the songs to be sung are 'Heart of Oak', 'Rule Britannia', 'The Vicar of Bray', 'Tom Bowling', and 'The Roast Beef of Olde England'.

This sounds as though it will repay the effort involved in forming a party, in much the way that one should attend [a] theatre-restaurant. [...]

Source: THE WORLD OF THEATRE. (1978, April 28). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 21. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110894565

15 June 1978 - Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan - Advertisement

Canberra Times ad for the Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan. Transcription follows.

Transcription

University Consort
Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan, Musical Director

Hall of University House
Thursday 15 June at 8.15pm

Programme of works by Gesualdo, Brahms, Finzi and Britten

Admission $3.50
Students $1.50
Tickets at the door


Source: Advertising. (1978, June 3). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 14. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131856646 . Also appeared on 10 June 1978.

15 June 1978 - Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan - Publicity

Publicity for the Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan. Transcription follows.

Transcription

On Thursday in the Hall of University House the University Consort is presenting a Farewell Concert for its musical director Geoffrey Brennan who is shortly leaving for overseas. For a number of years Geoffrey Brennan has contributed significantly to the musical life of Canberra both as a singer and as conductor. His work has been notable for the fine musical qualities and high standard of performance he has brought to everything he has done.

For his final program in Canberra he had chosen unaccompanied vocal music in four, five and six parts by Gesualdo, Brahms, Finzi and Britten. The Univer- sity Consort, for this recital, has been reduced to six voices - two sopranos, contralto, two tenors and with Brennan singing bass and directing. This is the finest form of vocal consort with a solo voice for each line of music.

A small recorder consort will provide interludes of instrumental music by Bach, Gibbons and Martinu.


Source: [Part of] MUSIC AND MUSICMAKERS Violinist, composer, painter IN CANBERRA THIS WEEK. (1978, June 11). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 25. Retrieved November 27, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131858127

15 June 1978 - Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan - Review

Review of the Farewell to Geoffrey Brennan. Transcription follows.

Transcription

MUSIC By W. L. HOFFMANN

Appropriate songs to farewell Brennan

It was appropriate that seven songs by Gerald Finzi should be the final item on the program of the University Consort's farewell recital on Thursday night for their musical director, Geoffrey Brennan, as he has shown a particular affection for the music of Finzi.

So it was perhaps not unexpected that these songs should also be given the best performance of the evening. A setting of seven poems by Robert Bridges, they are an expression of fine flowering of English song during the 1920s and 1930s; not only are the varying moods of the poems beautifully caught by the composer, but the textures of the songs themselves are varied between three, four and five vocal parts.

Excellent balance

They were sung with an excellent balance between the voices, and a rare realisation of their inner beauty - this performance alone was well worth coming to hear.

However, it was not the only thing worth hearing on the program, although the singing in the other works did vary somewhat, with the performances improving as the evening progressed. (Why is it, I wonder, that performances at recent University concerts have been so much better in the second half than the first?)

Demanding madrigals

On this occasion the University Consort had not chosen an easy program by any means, with the opening four madrigals by Gesualdo demanding an accuracy of intonation and a certainty of line that was only fitfully achieved.

Additionally, when 'a cappella' works are reduced to one voice to a line it is essential that there should be a close balance of tonal quality between the voices, and this was missing from both the Gesualdo madrigals and from the 'Five Flower Songs' of Britten which followed.

The 'Five Songs, Op.104' by Brahms with their richer, harmonic texture were better balanced: while quite attractive, their thicker tonal expression is not as vocally demanding as the sparer lines of Gesualdo or Britten.

The two groups of pieces played by a recorder consort as interludes between the vocal works followed a similar pattern to the singing - the second half group was better than that in the first half when tuning and varying intonation were problems. The contemporary idiom of Marinu's 'Divertimento' for two recorders and Tansman's 'Suite' for three recorders was nicely realised by the players, and these little unassuming works made a pleasant introduction to the Finzi songs.

This recital was a nice tribute to Geoffrey Brennan and to his involvement over the past 17 years in the musical life of Canberra, both within the university and in the community outside.

Source: MUSIC Appropriate songs to farewell Brennan. (1978, June 17). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 14. Retrieved November 28, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131859299

1979: Two revival attempts

In 1979, two further revivals were attempted, first with Warren Bebbington conducting, then with Christopher Lyndon Gee. The only member of the original consort listed in the programme below was Janet Healey.

25 July 1979 - Concert - Publicity

Concert - 25 July 1979 - publicity

Excerpt - Transcription

THE WORLD OF MUSIC by W. L. HOFFMANN

Next Wednesday the University Consort will offer an interesting program of unaccompanied vocal music at a lunch-hour concert to be given in the ANU Arts Centre.

Bebbington

The Consort will be directed for the first time by Warren Bebbington who joined the School of Music at the beginning of this year as Lecturer in Theoretical Studies.

The program will open with a Bach chorale 'Wer hat dich so geschlagen?', followed by five 16th century 'chansons' by such composers as De Sermisy, di Lasso and Jannequin. From more reccnt periods are 'Five Motets' by Bruckner, and the 'Three Hungarian Folksongs' (1951) by the Hungarian-born composer Matyas Seiber who spent much of his life in England, dying there in 1960.

It is a little while since the University Consort has presented a recital, and this program should be a most pleasant way for it to make its reappearance.


Source: Outstanding youth orchestra from Britain in concert. (1979, July 20). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 19. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110568765

25 July 1979 - Concert - Programme

Transcription follows

Concert programme. Transcription follows)

Transcription

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
ARTS CENTRE

LUNCH HOUR CONCERT

Wednesday 25 July 1979 12.40 p.m.

University Consort

WARREN BEBBINGTON - DIRECTOR

SOPRANOS - Janet Healey Richard Brabin-Smith - TENORS
Grace Koch Raymond Gorringe
ALTOS - Anne Brabin-Smith Michael Tatchell - BASSES
Annabelle Wheeler3 Philip Thomas

PROGRAMME

(all works are unaccompanied)

Chorale:
    Wer hat dich so geschlagen? J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
 
Five Sixteenth Century Chansons:
    Amours, partes Claudin de Sermisy (1490-1526)
S'io ti vedess'una sol Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594)
Je l'aime bien
Rest sweet nymphs Francis Pilkington (d. 1638)
Ce moys de may Clement Jannequin (1475-1560)
 
Three Hungarian Folksongs (1951) M. Seiber (b. 1905)
    The handsome butcher
Apple, apple
The old woman
 
Five Motets A. Bruckner (1824-1896)
    Christus factus est (1884)
Pange lingua (1868)
Locus iste (1869)
Vexilla regis (1892)
Virga Jesse (1885)

Source: Scan kindly supplied by the ANU Archives.

6 December 1979 - Concert - Advertisement

Concert - 6 December 1979 - Advertisement

Transcription

A.N.U. ARTS CENTRE

THE UNIVERSITY CONSORT
directed by CHRISTOPHER LYNDON GEE

Concert of works by Britten, Dering, Gesualdo, Tallis (Lamentations of Jeremiah) and Williamson (Symphony for Voices).

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, at 8.15pm

Admission at the door $4 and $2 (concessions).

Enquiries 494787.


Source: Advertising. (1979, December 1). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 18. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110970883 . Also appeared Thursday 6 December 1979 reading 'TONIGHT, at 8.15pm'.

6 December 1979 - Concert - Publicity

Transcription follows

Publicity for the Consort's December 1979 concert

Transcription

Excerpt: A week to cheer the hearts of choir-lovers

MUSIC AND MUSICMAKERS by W. L. HOFFMANN

With the approaching end of the year one can expect the usual proliferation of choral concerts, and this year appears to be no exception, with a number of performances this week to cheer the hearts of the lover of choirs and the music they sing.

On Thursday night at the ANU Arts Centre the University Consort will sing a program of a capella choral music of the 16th, 17th and 20th centuries. The principal work will be 'The Lamentations of Jeremiah' by the 16th-century English composer, Thomas Tallis. There are few opportunities to hear a major work by Tallis, long regarded as one of the greatest figures of early English sacred music, and these 'Lamentations' are certainly one of the finest examples of his genius.

Another work of more than usual interest on the program is Benjamin Britten's 'Sacred and Profane', settings of medieval lyric poems, of which three will be sung.

The concert will also include a performance of the 'Symphony of Voices' by Australian composer Malcolm Williamson, and will open with a selection from Gesualdo's 'Fifth Book of Madrigals' and with a group of madrigals in the Italian style by Richard Dering, a little known contemporary of Weelkes and Gibbons.

The University Consort now consists of nine singers (three sopranos, two altos, two tenors and two basses), and will be conducted on this occasion by the visiting English musician Christopher Lyndon Gee, who is at present acting as head of the department of composition at the School of Music.

Photo caption: Benjamin Britten: two of the modern English master's works will be performed this week.

Source: A week to cheer the hearts of choir-lovers. (1979, December 2). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 8. Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110971181

6 December 1979 - Concert - Review

Transcription follows

Review of the Consort's December 1979 concert

Transcription

MUSIC by JOHN SMALL

Surprising errors of pitch and timing

The University Consort. Choral Concert. ANU Arts Centre, Thursday December 6.

Directed on this occasion by Christopher Lyndon Gee, the University Consort presented a consistently interesting program of unaccompanied choral music at its Thursday concert.

The program was a mixture of Renaissance and modern, with madrigals by Dering and Gesualdo and Tallis' 'The Lamentation of Jeremiah' balanced by Williamson's 'Symphony for Voices' and three settings by Britten of mediaeval verse.

Regrettably, the performance was not always as good as the music deserved, and there were a number of minor errors of pitch and timing and balance which, coming from such an experienced group under such a skilled director, were rather surprising. Nothing ever went disastrously wrong, but the quality of the performance was not as good as other concerts by the University Consort have led audiences to expect.

Admittedly, the program was a difficult one. Plenty of small choirs would think twice about tackling the Gesualdo madrigals, with their startling harmonies, or the Williamson, with its awkward chromaticisms. Moreover, the excellent acoustics of the Arts Centre, with its big but quickly fading echo, exposed minor slips mercilessly in a way that would not have been possible in the reverberant caverns of the School of Music auditoriun.

Some of the singing was excellent. There were numbers of well-sung short solos, and Anne Brabin-Smith, in the long 'Invocation' for unaccompanied alto in the Williamson symphony, displayed a splendid voice, admirably managed.

Some of the big chords sounded sumptuous, and there was plenty of attention to the detail of the balance between parts in the Gesualdo madrigals; which are virtually five-part Italian opera and demand a rather soloistic treatment of many sections of the vocal parts.

But there was also a surprising amount of rather ragged singing - entries that were not quite unanimous, consonants not sounded in unison, individual singers' voices emerging too clearly from the ensemble sound, and not errors but imprecisions in pitch that took some of the edge off the acrid harmonies of the Gesualdo.

The impression the concert gave was that most of the program needed more rehearsal, or that the consort itself is going through some period of change and adjustment. There was plenty of evidence of how well the consort can sing, and their next concerts will no doubt see a more consistent adherence to their own generally high standards.

Source: MUSIC Surprising errors of pitch and timing. (1979, December 8). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 14. Retrieved May 31, 2013, from Trove: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110972385

Notes

1"[T]he indefinite recess of the University Consort in 1971". Peter Campbell, Canberra Choral Society: A Capital Choir for a Capital City, PC Publishing, Canberra, 2002 p82

2Ibid.

3Annabel Wheeler

Other Consort pages: