Welcome to my last report for 2013. I really don’t know where the year has gone. Christmas is already upon us...UNBELIEVABLE!
Our members in Victoria really looked forward to ‘Performertunity’ which was held in June. I am pleased to report that once again we had a night filled with beautiful singing from a varied age group. Singers, parents and teachers once again had a great get-together at the supper. A well deserved thank you to Robyn Cooper-Bugg who has been the driving force behind these nights since their inception and thank you to her helpers Carole Mc Kenzie and Lucas De Jong.
Then 39 of our Victorian members met up at the ICVT in July. The conference was filled to the brim with marvellous presenters and the excitement in the air was reflected in the animated conversations between delegates in the breaks between sessions.
It seems to me that after the resounding success of the ICVT, and getting back into the swing of things after the break in Brisbane, this last semester has flown. I must say that from a personal perspective, I came home to my studio with a refreshed resolve to be the best teacher I can be. In September the workshop with Ron Morris, Annie Strauch and Master Han Song was received with enthusiasm by all who attended. I felt reassured by the positive feedback from our members and realized that the membership relishes hands-on sessions. This feeling was also verified by the reception that our members gave Vivien Hamilton and Michelle Nicolle at our ‘Tools for Teachers’ workshop in October. This was followed by the Victorian AGM.
At the AGM, members were elected and at our subsequent planning meeting I warmly welcomed three new members to the Victorian Sub Committee; they are Ron Halliday, Anna Margolis and Alisa Porteous. Between them they have a solid history of performing and teaching and I am sure they will bring some new ideas to our sub committee. At the National AGM, three Victorian members were elected to the National Board. They are myself, Julia Nafisi and Darren Wicks.
Top of the news for 2014 is that the Victorian Chapter will be holding a major event with Mark Meylan as our keynote presenter and look forward to him being in Australia. It is envisaged this seminar will have a number of professionals from the Music Theatre industry participating. This is a not-to-be-missed experience; please mark it in your diaries for the weekend of 30th August 2014.
Some of you may have noticed we missed out on our annual dinner. This was due to a number of unforeseen circumstances. Please accept your Committee’s apology. In saying this, I hope you can all look back on 2013 as an exciting year with ANATS and we hope that you will attend our 2014 events.
From us all we are wishing you a blessed Christmas full of special memories with your families and friends and New Year celebrations complete with a resolve to make the best of every day and be thankful for this wonderful life.
Yours in music CONSTANCE COWARD - LEMKE and the Victorian Committe
