About Us
The
Strange Weather Gospel choir performs at its Gala Concert 2007.
Who are we?
The Strange Weather Gospel Choir (SWGC) is a non-religious community choir in Canberra consisting of over 80 singers whose passion and love for music are sure to inspire and move audiences. The Choir's unique sound and exuberance have seen it grow to become a very popular Choir in this region.
The Choir's current musical director is Kenneth Teoh. Ken is a lawyer by day, but has an unbridled energy and passion for creating wonderful music that touches both performers and audiences alike. He encourages a great deal of interaction with and participation from those who have come to listen to the Choir. Nigel Leach and Anna Ransom, both accomplished pianists and musicians, join the Choir this year as the Choir’s accompanists, following the departure of Susan Reid.
Where did our name come from?
The Choir's name comes from a combination of words from titles of two great jazz/blues classics called Strange Fruit and Stormy Weather.
Strange Fruit is a haunting Billie Holiday song about the hanging of African Americans during the American civil rights movement, and Stormy Weather is a Lena Horne bluesy torch number about love gone wrong.
What kind of Music do we perform?
The Choir performs a wide variety of gospel music either accompanied or unaccompanied. The repertoire ranges from traditional African American gospel spirituals from the era of the American Civil War through to 21st century gospel music. The gospel sound is complemented by the energetic and rhythmical world music sounds of traditional and contemporary African music reflecting the roots of gospel music, often accompanied by the tribal rhythms of drums and percussion. The Choir can also be heard singing secular music every now and then.
Here is a sample of the Choir's repertoire:
- Siyahamba - (Traditional African Spiritual) download mp3 (130kb)
- Amazing Grace - (Traditional Hymn)
- Wade in the Water - (Traditional Spiritual) download mp3 (110kb)
- Free at Last - download mp3 (128kb)
- Put your Hand in the Hand - download mp3 (227kb)
- Halle Halle - download mp3 (144kb)
These downloadable MP3 music files are short samples of the choir performing
live.
Where do we perform?
The Strange Weather Gospel Choir performs throughout the year at a variety of exciting events and festivals in Canberra and the neighbouring region.
The Choir has performed to popular acclaim at the National Gallery of Australia, the Moruya Jazz Festival, the Old Parliament House, the Wagga Wagga Jazz Festival, the National Museum of Australia and many other venues and events.
In 2004, the choir won first place in the Open Choirs section of the National Eisteddfod, recognising it as one of the country's best choirs.
The Choir's sell-out concert in November 2004 received rave reviews, with audience members travelling from far and wide to catch the show. As its 10th Anniversary Concert in 2005, the Choir performed to a packed hall with audience members travelling from as far as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The Choir's 2006 Concert and the 2007 Winter Concerts were also sold out. The Choir's 2007 Gala Concert was held in the Canberra Girls Grammar School to a captive Election Night audience.
The Choir prides itself on its strong community spirit, and each year commits to a number of charity and community performances. The Choir has performed at the ACT Relay for Life, various retirement and aged care homes and various benefit Concerts in and around Canberra. In 2005 the Choir organised a Concert to raise funds for those affected by the Boxing Day Tsunami 2004.
For more information on the Choir's exciting programme in 2008, please refer to our Events page.
What's the History of the Choir?
The Choir was formed in 1995 through the community arts organisation Music for Everyone (MfE), which has run music tuition and performance programs in Canberra for more than 20 years. The Choir was founded as a new MfE adult program as a follow up for those participating in a massed choir of 500 for the staging of Carmina Burana in 1994.
Choir Documents
The Choir has become a fully incorporated not-for-profit organisation.
For the Choir's Constitution, please download the Constitution document.