School and community choirs across Australia are invited to take part in the Everywhere Venues Australian Christmas Song Competition. The competition has been supported by Everywhere Venues and Mitchell Conservatorium.
Competition Organiser Roz Townsend is excited for this year’s competiton.Β βWeβre encouraging primary, secondary and community choirs to perform the four Australian Christmas songs composed by my mother Hazel Hughes,β said Roz.
Hazel Hughes spent her early years in the Sydney cultural scene. She was the second youngest of four children to German immigrants Louise and William Homer.Β Β Her father William Homer was a well-known Sydney printer.Β Β After Hazelβs death, her daughter Roz was inspired to preserve her motherβs memory and musical legacy. Her goal was to have Hazelβs four Christmas songs professionally arranged and published. This would ensure that people across Australia could enjoy the songs that Hazelβs family all sang together each Christmas around the family piano and at the little country church.
βHazelβs four songs capture the essence of Christmas in Australia at harvest time, in summer – not with snow and winter. We want to encourage children to sign and perform these songs that celebrate what Australians love about our version of Christmas because itβs just as joyful and sacred as the European experience,” Roz said. “Itβs our goal to make Hazel Hughesβ Christmas songs well known and loved across Australia. This yearβs competition will be judged over three categories β Primary School Choir, Secondary School Choir and Community Choir. Choirs may enter their relevant category up to four times β one for each of the four songs. You only need six people who are willing to have a go to make a choir in our competition! So, anyone could enter and stand a chance of winning some great prizes.”
Sheet music and application details can be found online.
Readers also enjoyed this story about three Toowoomba high achievers.Β
