Wollongong finds its voice with booming music theatre choir

Under the baton of a musical director who has written for the iconic Dame Edna Everage, the Australian Music Theatre Choir has struck a chord in Wollongong, having grown rapidly in the past 18 months.

Originally launched in Sydney two years ago by music theatre professional Robert Bertram, the choir’s popularity quickly expanded nationwide as it offered singers a chance to rediscover their love of show tunes.

Previously a private singing teacher and performer, having played Paul Keating in Keating! The Musical through to Raoul in Phantom of the Opera for its Australasian tour, Robert was looking for something to add to his singing studio.

“I was hoping I would get maybe 10 or 12 people one night a week, and we had 50 or 60 people turn up in Sydney on the first night,” he said.

“Then I was inundated with messages and emails from people all over Australia asking for a musical theatre choir where they live.

“Wollongong was a very quick one to happen, and now it’s in seven places all over Australia.”

Wollongong started with 20 people on its first night 18 months ago and last term ended with 45 people, with Robert predicting it to reach 60 or 70 when the new term starts.

While other chapters around Australia might steal the spotlight in terms of size such as Sydney boasting 200 members, he said the Illawarra’s vibrant theatre scene made it unique, with its rich musical roots, including connections to icons like performer Anthony Warlow and producer Michael Cassel.

“With Wollongong, I think the area is so rich in opportunities for people to do things like this that a lot of people who might join our choir are already doing other things,” he said.

“There’s a few other choirs, and there’s a lot of musical theatre groups, and that’s all fine. I think a lot of people down that way really enjoy it and that’s a great thing.”

He said once the Fairy Meadow Anglican Church was secured as a venue, the next challenge was finding a musical director.

“We have a musical director who is from Sydney, but he travels to Wollongong every week for me,” he said.

“You won’t believe this. His name’s Andrew Ross, and he used to be the head of music at NIDA for a long time, but he wrote the scripts for Dame Edna. All the gags you’ve ever seen.

“He’s also a brilliant musician and a brilliant piano player. He’s the kindest, most caring person ever, so he’s perfect for a community choir.”

He said a lovely sense of community had brewed among the group, with members going out to dinner and shows together.

The real challenge was always choosing the songs.

“I’ve got a long list of everyone’s suggestions, but when it comes to musical theatre, it goes back 100 years, and also there’s every style of music under the umbrella of musical theatre,” he said.

“So everybody comes, being a music theatre fan, with different types of shows that are their favourites.

“It’s quite a difficult balancing act to make sure that over the 10-week term – we do five or six songs, and I try to cover as many different styles and eras as possible within those five or six songs – that everybody gets a favourite and also gets to expand outside of their comfort zone.”

Robert said each term they staged a performance for family and friends, with proceeds going to a charity. Last year $20,000 was raised for Beyond Blue across the choirs.

He said each member joined to gain something different, with experienced vocalists finding an outlet to sing, while new singers gained confidence.

“Some people are quite deliberate and serious about what they want to achieve out of it,” he said.

“I would say that most people, probably those between the ages of 30 and 60 who used to sing a long time ago but life and kids have taken over, they’re finally having the time or the courage to do something for themselves.

“I think a large part of their enjoyment is yes, it’s the singing, yes, it’s the music, but it’s the community, the friendships and sharing time with other people who enjoy the same thing you do.”

He said he often received emails from members who said they were having a difficult time in their life and the choir helped them get through their week.

“It’s a brief moment of joy that fills them up enough to handle the challenges they’ve got,” he said.

“All these things I’m talking about, I never set out to achieve but it’s the most wonderful byproduct.”

He said members did need to be able to sing but could be a beginner.

“As long as people know that it’s a warm, welcoming community, and if they like singing songs from musicals, they will be very happy.”

The Australian Music Theatre Choir Wollongong branch meets every Wednesday from 5 February from 7 – 9 pm in Fairy Meadow. Book your spot in the choir.