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2011 Music Council of Australia Assembly

 
 
 
 

Street Choirs

What sort of Choirs?

The National Folk Festival engages several singing groups as performers. The Street Choirs are valued for their mobility, spontaneity and up-close involvement with street audiences.

The Festival is widely regarded as unique for the rich interaction and experience available to musicians. The workshop and performance programs as well as incidental sessions with national and international musicians allows enrichment and cross-fertilisation at a level rarely found at music festivals. The Street Choirs are part of the growing engagement with world vocal traditions and their integration into contemporary folk music.

Application Due Date?

Applications are open between the 20th June-20th July

What are the expectations?

  • Each group sings four, 30 minute sets in exchange for season tickets (with a free camping pass for interstate groups).
  • Groups perform their preferred repertoire,
  • Groups sing at a location in one of a number of outside spaces
  • The encouragement of audience involvement is highly valued
  • Ideally, ACT groups would be available for a couple of their times on the Friday and/or Monday (due to interstate groups often having to travel on those days)
  • Due to audience request, the street choirs schedule will be published in the Festival Program.

This model provides choirs with an opportunity to sing in a busking environment and to play with attracting and engaging passing audience with their singing. This gig appeals to groups that enjoy getting off the stage, out from behind microphones and up close with their audience. Those groups preferring an indoor performance venue should apply to the formal performance program described on the Performer Application page of the website. Volunteer Street choirs are encouraged to book for a spot at one of the available blackboard venues.

Choirs choose their own sites on the street, under trees, at café table areas, from a small number of options that limit noise contamination from other performers and have good pedestrian traffic. This is unlike the volunteer dance display groups who dance their sets on a weather-proof wooden floor for safety reasons.

Choirs contribute enormously to the Festival ambiance, enrich the Festival experience for passers-by and expose everyone to a range of the all-year singing opportunities out there in the community.

How to Apply

To apply for the Street Choir program, please fill in the Performer Application Form. Make sure you select the box marked Street Choirs on page 2 of the Application Form.

Fees

The Festival does not pay fees for the street choir program.