Recently we were pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Viviane Knight, who is the conductor for the West Australian Nightingale Chorale. She follows Imperfect Women and left a comment on one of our recent posts concerning Abby Sunderland. In her email she shared with me some information regarding the Chorale and the works she does and we wanted to share her passion with you.
The West Australian Nightingale Chorale is a non auditioned choir formed in 1995 and consists of 35 choristers that range between the ages of 18 years old to 87 years young. The Chorale has developed and recorded a repertoire of songs of peace, grace, goodwill from Classical to Gospel, with Negro Spirituals and Jazz thrown in the mix.
The Chorale has a long list of achievements that include an extensive tour of South America, Uruguay and Brazil in August of 2006 which saw the choir sing to full houses in Buenos Aires, La Plata, Montevideo, Rio and Paratay. Currently they are in the process of raising money to travel overseas to Vienna in 2011 which holds a special place in the heart of Viviane Knight because it is her birthplace and where she first learned to sing.
We were pleased to be able to have Viviane answer some questions so we could gain a more insight into the Chorale.
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
IW: This quote was on the Facebook page you forwarded. Who wrote this?
VK: The author is unknown (to my knowledge), it has been our motto for some time, and it is so very true for a chorale such as ours.
IW: Can you explain a little what a non audition choir is all about?
VK: A non audition choir means that I will take anybody who wants to sing without even auditioning them, young or old, singers or non singers. Everybody can sing…some better than others, for sure. I have had tone deaf people in my chorale and they have as much right to enjoy a good sing as everybody else.
IW: Do the age differences of your members create any issues?
VK: No at all, the older ones are rather fond of the young ones.
IW: How do the oldest and youngest members of the choir interact? I would imagine strong bonds have been formed because of the choir.
VK: The best example of this was when we traveled to Ireland and sang in Clonmel. We were guest of another choir and my youngest tenor met a soprano from the other choir. They fell in love and she traveled twice to Australia, applied for permanent resident visa and got married here. They did not have anything, so the choir financed the wedding for them including the white dress, DJ, flowers, church and the catering.
Another time, one of our tenors hit a kangaroo driving back from the airport and damaged the car. He was stuck in the forest all-night, till help arrived. He had no money and no insurance. The choir members paid for the repairs and gave him one year worth of insurance to help him. He never looked back. There have been many other occasions when we have had members who died and the choir has assisted their families.
More recently, when I was in hospital (my husband needs care 24/7) the choir rallied and travelled 400 km in turn to take care of him and brought cooked meals so that I would not have to worry about cooking for some time.
IW: How many countries have you traveled to?
VK: France, Ireland, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Taiwan.
IW: Which trip stands out the most?
VK: They were absolutely fascinating and so different. The South American people were so warm and I loved their music totally. One outstanding memory was to be the guest for an underprivileged school in Rio de Janeiro. We had hundreds of kids of every age rocking and dancing. Such a privilege that was.
IW: How do you deal with the language barriers when you travel?
VK: I speak French and a little Spanish so we have not had a great deal of problems. However in Buenos Aires, when a choir member went to order a pizza, they ended up with BIG fat creamy cake. That was a good laugh. In Ireland, we had a tenor hospitalized and the hospital called our patron Mary lane. His name is Murray Lang and that was another good laugh.
IW: Do you have any plans to come to the United States?
VK: We are trying to get to Vienna next year for the Christmas season, and then USA. The major problem is money. We do not get any funding from the government simply because sports are more supported then the choral world and no scheme in this country will give sponsorship to go out of the country.
We would like to bring Eduardo Lakschevitz here as our guest and even with his qualifications, we cannot obtain any grant or sponsorship. It is heart breaking. He is a brilliant man. He was the person who took us to the underprivileged school and even played the sax for us.
IW: If someone wanted to make a donation for your next trip, how would they do so?
VK: We could provide you with EFTPOS via PayPal or direct debit into the account. (Please contact Imperfect Women at info@imperfectwomen.com and we will connect you with Viviane.)
IW: Keeping in the theme of Imperfect Women, what would you say is your group’s biggest imperfection?
VK: They talk too much in rehearsal and after 17 years I have given up….trying to correct it.
They are such a terrific bunch, they call me the “dragon, the dictator, the boss, and all sorts of other names.
IW: We want to thank Viviane Knight for bringing her passion to our attention. You can also follow the West Australian Nightingale Chorale on Facebook.
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About Viviane Knight.
Music has always been a passion in Viviane’s life since the age of four. At the age of eight she learned to play the piano and accordion and at 13, Viviane started her singing career and subsequently graduated from Belgium Conservatorium of Music with a degree in Music for Piano. She now specializes in the field of Vocal Teaching. A highlight of her career was receiving a Belgian Government medal for outstanding contribution in the field of singing and for excellence in voice training.
In 1968 Viviane migrated to Australia and started teaching singing and piano. Her passion took a different turn some years ago and she accepted an invitation to form a choir and she now devotes all of her time to choral activities and conducting. She is the recipient of several diplomas from the Asian Pacific Music Academy and has attended several master classes with Rodney Eichenberger, a well known American conductor.
Viviane regularly presents Workshops around Australia and currently is the administrator of Choral Association Australia. She is a Standford Who’s Who member.
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Comments
11 Responses to West Australian Nightingale Chorale
Wow! what a fabulous passion. I so admire a woman with the strength to organize all of these people, all of these trips, and all of this music! I have heard it said that travelling with artists is like herding cats. They are very endearing and very independent.
A dear friend of mine who recently died was a manager for the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and I know a little from her experience the organization and committment this takes to travel the world with a big group to perform. It is important though because it fosters goodwill among people of different cultures.
Viviane, please consider coming to Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA. You would love it and your choir would fit right in!
What an inspiring and feel-good story. It is wonderful that a love of music and singing can bring so much joy — both to the audiences and to the singers that come together to perform.
I was really touched by how the choir pulls together in difficult and happy times.
“Everybody can sing…” is a wonderful adage to remember. Often people want to be the star or the best, but how awesome is when a group with all different levels of talent can come together and produce something beautiful?
What fun to travel the world and sing. They sound like a great group. I love the story of the couple of falling in love and the woman moving to Australia to get married. How sweet the choir helped w/their wedding. Viviane sounds like an amazing woman.
I loved reading about all this.
Thank you for the very good positive comments about me, it is very kind, but if I may use the words of Jessica Watson ‘ I am just an ordinary girl who believed in following her dream” in my case I am just an ordinary woman who has a vision and a special choir who makes it happen with their dedication to one another, if money was not a stumbling block , I would really love to bring my group to PA, it would be so fabulous. However, as I said, I have a vision and a dream, so, please don’t give up on us and send lots of positive thoughts, It is with the help and because of people like “Imperfect women’ and their site that we will achieve this……-:) Viviane
It is with the help and because of people like “Imperfect women’ and their site that we will achieve this……-:) Viviane
I love a challenge. The idea of meeting some of my IW friends in PA and also getting a chance to see the Nightingale Choral sounds like a dream come true. Hoping it does!
Thanks, Viviane.
Viviane, thanks for bringing your choir to our attention. It all sounds so pleasant and your choir is something of which to be proud.
I have had tone deaf people in my chorale and they have as much right to enjoy a good sing as everybody else
I love that your choir is “non-audition”. Working together for the enjoyment of music to travel and perform for others sounds like a wonderful way to spend one’s time. I wish you all the best.
This sounds awesome. I like to sing but don’t really trust my voice. I’m inspired by the idea of the non-audition choir and by the diversity of the group. It sounds just lovely, and if they ever make it my way I would love to see them.
What a great story! I have never heard of a non-audition. That’s sounds like something for me. I love to sing…but can’t carry a tune. Thank goodness for the privacy of the car and the radio.
How much fun it must be to travel with a diverse group with a common love of singing and bringing joy to the audience.
Best of luck to all of you and I hope you make it to the States.
Wow that isn’t something you hear everyday, at least not in my neck of the woods!
What a wonderful and heart warming article! Following your passion is the key to a happy life, isn’t it?
Viviane,
This sounds like a great group and you sound like a great leader! My Dad used to say my Mom “couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket”. She loved to sing, in fact she still does and your choir would have been perfect for her.
Viviane,
I love that you give opportunities to singers who might not otherwise have them. It sounds like you have used your passion to make the world a better place and that your members are “paying forward” your efforts.
Thanks for giving us an opportunity to know more about you.