Category Archive: Gigs
Blackheath Choir Festival 2016
August 29, 2016
Work-shopping the repertoire!
A small but dedicated group of Singers traveled to Blackheath on 27 October this year, to take part in the Blackheath Choir Festival…the third time the Illawarra Union Singers have performed there. After an unusual rehearsal in an auto workshop…! They gave a fantastic performance to a full capacity audience at the New Ivanhoe Hotel. Under the wonderful leadership of musical director Doug, and accompanied by Zlatko on guitar, they performed Bandiera Rossa, Tolpuddle Man, Bella Ciao and a rousing, audience participation rendition of 16 Tons!
Pre-hydration
Zlatko in soulful mode.
Mairi Ross and Zlatko, rehearsing at Blackheath.
Ross, contemplating performance strategies.
Hiroshima Day Commemoration
August 29, 2016
The Hiroshima Day Commemoration was a very moving event. We rehearsed in the freezing cold outside David Jones.
The choir sang Blowing in the Wind, Ode to Joy and We Shall Overcome, joined by a number of extra choristers.
Everyone present tied a paper crane to a memorial branch which was left in the Mall as a reminder of story of Sadako, and her 1000 paper cranes. Sadako was two years old at the time of the bombing and died at the age of 12 from leukemia she contracted as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima. Before she died, she made 1000 paper cranes; a Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish.
Tom Uren Funeral 2015: Vale Tom Uren
August 5, 2016
On Wednesday, 4 February 2015, some members of the IUS were privileged to join the massed trade union choir which sang at the State Funeral of Labor and Union luminary, Tom Uren, in the Sydney Town Hall. The choir were invited to sing by Tom himself, who had planned his funeral 10 years earlier! As part of the moving and heartfelt ceremony, the choir sang the National Anthem, accompanied by Robert Ampt on the magnificent Town Hall organ, then later sang The Ballad of 1981, in what the Sydney Morning Herald described as “a rousing live rendition of The Ballad of 1891 (about the great shearers’ strike)…”
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- Barry ready to go as usual in the Bass section.
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- Gary got a good position in the front.
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- Almost all the Choir.
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- Florence in the thick of it.
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- Illawarra Union Singers who attended Tom Uren’s funeral.
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- Choir for Tom Uren’s funeral.
Judy Turner at rehearsal
Choir members rehearsing
Gigs Gone By: Images and Memories
August 5, 2016
Some images from gigs gone by starting with the Nymagee (120 k’s from Cobar) concert in October 2006
General photo of Nymagee
Breakfast time at the humble abode
On stage doing the gig
On stage doing the gig
Practice at the humble abode
Practice at the humble abode
No traffic lights on country roads
In 2007 the Illawarra Union Singers travelled to Cobargo for the Cobargo Folk Festival
General photo of Nymagee
Breakfast time at the humble abode
On stage doing the gig
On stage doing the gig
Practice at the humble abode
Practice at the humble abode
No traffic lights on country roads
Scene / seen on the way
In 2007 the Illawarra Union Singers travelled to the Cobargo Folk Festival
Odd shots
Coaltown and La Voce
April 21, 2015
Saturday 18th April saw Illawarra Union Singers travelling to Lane Cove to combine with the La Voce Choir for the first Coaltown performance.
Songs from the Coal
Lane Cove
Coaltown was an outdoor theatre production created and performed by Sydney-based professional street theatre company, Death Defying Theatre (DDT) in 1985. Funded through the Australia Council and the ACTU’s “Art in Working Life” program, the show told a story of coal mining, unionism and the lives of mining people in Australia.
The ninety minute show featured 6 performers, 6 original songs and a 3 metre high miner.
Devised and rehearsed in Collinsville, a pit-mining town in far Nth Queensland, Coaltown was presented on football fields and public reserves in 10 coal mining communities throughout eastern Australia….and then put to bed.
In 2014 IUS, Sarah de Jong (Coaltown composer 1985) and “La Voce” choir from Lane Cove Sydney commenced a project to revive the Coaltown songs.
On 18 April 2015 at the Lane Cove Living and Learning Centre, meeting for just the second time, both choirs presented a number of their own songs, and joined to perform a set of Coaltown songs. The good crowd of over 30 enjoyed a great night of songs and a strong partnership between two choirs was established.
It was a great night.
Contributed by Michael Andrews.
Opening speech given by Kim Spinks who was a founding member of Death Defying Theatre, Sarah De Jong on left also founding member and composer.
La Voce Choir doing their songs
Sarah De Jong and Sarah Lambert (Blue Tie)
Illawarra Union Singers @ Illawarra Folk Festival 2015
January 30, 2015
Illawarra Union Singers 2015 Illawarra Folk Festival gig this year consisted of a Tribute to Gough Whitlam on the Saturday with various artists performing and reminiscing about Whitlam’s life. This was finished with a performance of Its Time sung by the audience and Illawarra Union Singers who were accompanied on guitar by Arthur Rorris.
AT the Union concert on the Sunday the Illawarra Union Singers sang:
16 Tons (Merle Travis) Led by Douglas McPherson
Bandiera Rossa led by Sarah Lambert followed by another rendition of Its Time
Pete Seeger Concert
December 18, 2014
Earlier this year the man who “helped create the modern American folk music movement and co-wrote some of its most enduring songs such as “If I Had a Hammer, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” died of natural causes” Pete Seeger was his name and the Illawarra Union Singers were invited along to an Illawarra Folk Festival gig to help celebrate his life.
George Mann from New York leading the show along with Maurie Mulheron and others took turns providing a great night’s singing and history of Pete Seeger.
Mystery performers on the night were the audience and they did a good job too.
TRIPs gig
November 11, 2014
TRIPs was a Thirroul Railway Institute Preservation fund raiser for the piano the Institute has. Illawarra Union Singers started the night with a 20 min set and finished with another 20 minute set.
Songs were
Set 1
1. Tolpuddle Man
2. Shelter
3. Jacob’s Ladder Welcome
4. Banners
5. Internationale
The Zlatkos, some Bluegrass players and Sarah doing solos with a gentleman on the piano which had been tuned on the day took us up to the break.
Set 2
1. In My Shoes
2. Four Strong Women
3. 16 Tons
4. Bandiera Rossa
5. Mnogaja Ljeta
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- Trips gig
Images kindly supplied by Kerryn Stephens who has also done a nice write up and listed Sarah doing her solo performance.
Blackheath 2014
September 3, 2014
Saturday 23rd August saw the Illawarra Union Singers performing at the Ivanhoe Hotel in Blackheath as part of the Blackheath Choral Festival. Not a big room but a friendly atmosphere that really warmed up to our singing quickly. Songs were We Shall not Give Up The Fight, Tolpuddle Man, Bread and Roses, Jacob’s Four Strong Women and as Zlatko let it be known that his birthday was the following day, we had the time, an audience Mongaja Ljeta was sung to finish off a great concert enjoyed by both parties. Thanks to our 
photographers we have an image.
Hiroshima 2014
August 6, 2014
Hiroshima
A few words from Marg Perrot, three songs from the choir and then off for breakfast for some.
Many thanks to Douglas and Katie for conducting and great work to all who showed up, songs were Ode to Joy and Last Night I Dreamed with Doug and We Shall Not Give Up The Fight with Katie.
Many thanks to Sharon Callaghan for the photos.
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- Hiroshima Day 2014
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- Hiroshima Day 2014