Border children are being asked to lend their voices to a choir that will perform on stage as part of Opera Australia’s production of Madam Butterfly.
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The Albury-Wodonga Young Voices Choir is urgently looking for singers to swell its ranks for the one-off performance at Albury Entertainment Centre on September 4.
The children’s choir will perform The Humming Chorus and another song in Puccini’s opera that inspired the musical Miss Saigon.
Choir director Bohdan Krowicky said there was still time for young singers to participate in this wonderful stage experience with the renowned opera group.
He said new singers would be able to take their lead from current choir members to learn the songs for the opera performance.
The call-up for young voices comes as Melbourne University’s Professor Sarah Wilson sings the praises of singing during Science Week from August 11 to 19.
Professor Wilson said singing was a form of natural therapy as she explained what happened to the brain when you sang.
During scans, she said large areas of the brain were shown to light up or activate when people thought about singing or engaged in singing itself.
The areas included motor networks, auditory (or listening) networks, planning and organisational networks, memory and language as well as emotional networks, Professor Wilson said.
“They augment social bonding and empathy,” she said.
“The complexity of singing is striking for the brain even though to us it feels like a relatively easy process.”
Professor Wilson said what was remarkable about singing was that it activated our “reward network”.
“Those emotions lead to the release of dopamine, which is the feel-good chemical for the brain,” she explained.
“So, if you like, singing is a form of natural therapy.
“It lifts our mood, it releases dopamine and gives all those networks a workout, bringing neuro-protective benefits for our mental health.”
It’s certainly a philosophy to which Mr Krowicky subscribes.
When he started the Young Voices choir in 2017, he was vocal about the benefits that singing in a group could bring to a young person’s self-development as well as contributing to community unity.
“In addition to releasing endorphins, singing in a choir helps improve a child’s ability to concentrate for extended periods of time,” he said.
- Interested in joining the choir? Contact choirs manager Kylie Bonnor on 0402 835 249.
