Creswick’s own local choir, the Creswick Chorus, is preparing to be part of a special massed choir concert bringing songs of the Torres Strait Islands to Ballarat’s Goods Shed Terminus Theatre – and to the state’s Melbourne Recital Centre.

The upcoming Ballarat concert on Sunday December 1 will follow a similar Boite Voices: Maiem – Songs of the Torres Strait Islands massed choir performance the previous evening at 7pm in the state’s Melbourne Recital Centre.

ALWAYS LIVE and The Boîte, in collaboration with Artistic Director Deb Lowah Clark, Cultural Director Luke Captain, and Choir Director Stella Savy (pictured above at front row far right) are joining forces to present the very special massed choir concerts at both venues.

Boite Voices is a massed choir project involving hundreds of singers from all over Victoria who will come together under the Artistic Direction of proud Meriam artist and educator Deb Lowah Clark and Cultural Direction of Luke Captain to perform traditional and original songs of the Torres Strait Islands.

ALWAYS LIVE is a state-wide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian government through Visit Victoria and Creative Victoria.

The massed choirs concert will feature songs in English, Meriam Mir and Kala Lagaw Ya, and is a rare chance to experience the culture and stories of the traditional peoples of Zenadth Kes, the Torres Strait Islands.

The culture-rich Ballarat event happens Sunday 1 December from 2:30pm-3:45pm with tickets to be part of the Ballarat audience through trybooking online. Tickets to the Melbourne concert are available through the Melbourne Recital Centre website.

Words: Eve Lamb

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

Those who get along to this Friday’s Creswick Twilight Market can expect to be transported, albeit temporarily, to the Seychelles, Timor and South Africa.

These are just a few of the exotic locations from which the town’s Creswick Chorus community singing group has sourced its repertoire for the pre-Christmas evening market that gets started from 5pm this Friday November 24.

The local group will be performing live at the market from about 6.20pm, adding an extra dash of atmosphere to the annual pre-Christmas dusk shopping experience.

“We’ll be singing for about 20 to 30 minutes and we’re doing songs from Timor to the Seychelles to South Africa and Ghana to local Dja Dja Wurrung country,” choir leader Stella Savy says ahead of the market gig.

Besides offering a prime opportunity to tick off some Christmas shopping with unique hand-made artisan goods and produce, the upcoming twilight market will provide a top opportunity to check out the local Creswick Chorus and consider joining up.

The group rehearses weekly, has about 30 members and is now approaching the end of its second successful year of existence with bookings into the future already including CresFest 2024.

Quite a few of the group’s members will also add their singing talents to the town’s evening Carols at The Courthouse event on Saturday December 9. The free community event is being hosted by Creswick Theatre Company and will feature Creswick Brass Band and a seasonal visit from Santa as well..

“Some of the Chorus members will be coming along to add their voices to the Carols at The Courthouse,” says Creswick Chorus member Jenni Sewell who’s also a committee member with Creswick Theatre Company. Jenni says that in the lead up to Christmas some of the Creswick Chorus singers will also be taking to the streets to sing Christmas carols at various locations in Creswick.

Stella says watching the local singing group grow and thrive in the two years since it started has been rewarding. “Initially I was wondering how many people in Creswick wanted to sing, and I’ve been impressed,” the well known local muso and community choir leader says.

“I’m impressed with the sound of the choir.”

There is still plenty of room, however, for more members to join up, and particularly more male members would be welcome as currently female membership far exceeds male membership, meaning there are far more members singing in the alto and soprano ranges than in tenor or bass registers.

“We’d love to have more men sing with us every week. That would be awesome,” Stella says.

“We have bass parts sitting there waiting to be sung, and the more singers we have in this group, the more supported people feel.

“You don’t need to worry about how your own voice sounds. You just come and add your voice to the community sound.”

Regular additional workshops, public gigs and even the occasional surprise flash mob performance are all on the group’s program.

Weekly rehearsal sessions take place from 5.30 to 7pm every Wednesday during school term at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre Hall where Stella also leads the local children’s choir from 3.45pm on the same day. Further information about joining the Chorus is available through the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Fiona Watson

It’s not a sound you’d generally expect to hear emanating from a little community hall in regional Victoria after dark.

Many voices raised together as they belt out some rhythmic pulsing songs of South Africa, followed by a traditional number or two from the Pacific Islands and chased down with a heart-wrenching Croatian piece – all sung in the languages of origin.

But this is exactly what happens pretty much every Wednesday night – other than term breaks – at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre Hall.

There, well known Ballarat-based musician, singer and choir leader Stella Savy puts the Creswick Chorus through its paces.

Group members say they themselves sometimes find it hard to believe that they’ve just got their tongues around a song in Zulu or French Creole, for example.

But Stella seems to have a gift for making music happen – in many languages – and for bringing people together.

“Within ten minutes of introducing a song to us Stella has us singing three-part harmony in a language that we’ve never seen before, and we even think to ourselves ‘Gee we sound good!’ and yet ten minutes earlier we couldn’t have imaged it,” says Creswick Chorus regular Julie Moten.

Chorus member, Creswick’s Jenni Sewell says singing in the group tends to be a wonderful confidence and wellbeing booster as well.

“I always like how I feel when we’ve just finished our session. I’m as high as a kite and sing all the way home in the car,” Jenni says.

With an emphasis on world music, they also do quite a few fun songs in English as well including some funky stuff and a bit of Gospel to boot.

There’s also a Creswick Kids Chorus group that Stella leads as well, and right now both the adult and kids Creswick Chorus groups are looking forward to being part of a special fundraising concert coming up in Ballarat on Sunday, September 10.

The Stand By Me concert is being presented by the Ballarat Dementia Alliance and the Bigger Hearts Choir with money raised going towards using music to support people diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, a cause to which the Bigger Hearts Choir is devoted.

The concert will feature singing groups from the Creswick and Ballarat areas with the Creswick Chorus joining forces with Ballarat’s Thursday Night Choir to perform together on the day, something Stella says is a real benefit for choir members.

“Other choirs do things slightly differently and so it’s great when you see choirs coming together and singing together,” she says.

“For all reasons singing is good. It’s good for your health it’s good for your mind, for your sense of connectedness,” Stella says, also mentioning that new members are always welcome to rock up and join the Creswick Chorus.

Ballarat’s Bigger Hearts Choir itself will be among the groups performing at the upcoming Stand By Me concert with tickets (that include afternoon tea) available through Humanitix or at the door.

The Stand By Me concert happens at 1.30pm-3.30pm at Ballarat’s York Street Church of Christ York Street Ballarat, Sunday September 10.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: contributed

Quite a few will know her as the friendly face up front conducting the Creswick Chorus, Creswick’s
own community choir for adults who like to sing.

Stella Savy is the talented local muso whose unique blend of funk, soul, reggae and ska has won her fans
Australia-wide. Her original music is influenced by her Seychelle Island heritage – the sounds of the islands where her father was born.
Beyond performing with various combos – like Stella Savy Avek Frers – Stella derives plenty of soul food from her role as community choir conductor.

She says the Creswick Chorus formed about this time last year, initially specifically to perform at last year’s
inaugural CresFest.
But after eight weeks of rehearsals and then achieving their goal of performing at CresFest, none of the choir members were ready to see it all end there. So it didn’t.
Instead, Stella says Creswick Chorus now has about 25 regular members and after its term break, has now just resumed weekly Wednesday evening rehearsals (as of earlier this week February 1) as part of the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre program. And it will once again be performing at CresFest that happens March 31-April 2.
“The Creswick Chorus is open to everyone and you don’t need to have experience,” Stella says, also
mentioning the Creswick Kids’ Choir which will also be performing at CresFest this year as well.
Stella has been a musician and teacher for more than two decades and has taught many age groups and people of a wide range of musical abilities all over Australia.
She is an engaging storyteller and teacher and those who participate in her workshops tend to leave with a smile as well as some new musical skill.
Her live performances feature original works with contagious beats and her music career has taken her to
amazing locations around the world, including Africa and the Seychelle Islands, where she facilitates yearly tour groups.
Stella has also worked with choirs for many years, ranging from community – like the keen Creswick
Chorus – to professional, and her extensive skill set includes body percussion, harmony, hand-drumming
and singing.
“The Creswick Chorus is for adults,” she said, ahead of the local choir’s resumption of its well-attended
weekly rehearsals at the town’s neighbourhood centre as of Wednesday evening earlier this week.
“It’s a lovely group of people and it’s really fun. We sing a range of world music, contemporary, a bit of
gospel and a bit of African stuff,” Stella says.
“It’s such a great way to really connect with people in your community.”