by Hawthorn Rotary’s music critic, Chris Hanson
The first Rotary in Harmony (Classical) concert last Sunday was a great event. It was a very well put-together production, initiated by Rotary South Bendigo in aid of Mental Health Week.
At precisely 3.00 pm, District Governor Philip Archer introduced the team headed by compere Sue Foley.
First up we heard the brilliant soprano, Merlyn Quaife, sing songs from Schubert and others. Her voice was ethereal and mellow hitting all the notes. Piano accompaniment was by Cheryl Long. Next was a flute solo by Katie Kim with Ed Chan on piano. A Beethoven Romance is always worth hearing and this was superbly done.
Past District Governor Greg Ross then entertained us with a ditty about Australian Rotary Health—not exactly classical, but it made its point about this great organisation and its global mission.
Moving onto more music, we then had a wonderful piano solo from Kaitlin White: Une barque our l’ocean, a Ravel étude. Good piano can just take you with it, as this did. I like a trumpet and so enjoyed the 1st Haydn Trumpet Concerto played by Hannah Rundel—very bouncy and energetic.
Professor Patrick McGorrey (Australian of the Year 2010) spoke to us about Mental Health and all that has to be done in this trying era. He was authoritative and engaging, as he spoke with great passion about the need for more investment in early intervention of emerging psychosis affecting the young.
Back to the music, and we heard Rachael Suh play a delightful Cello in Bach’s Cello Suite #2. This piece is an icon of the classical repertoire, which I highly recommend. It was the highlight of the afternoon for me as a layman.
Dr Catherine Crock spoke about her involvement in the Hush Foundation, which helps kids with cancer while in hospital by providing excellent recorded music through CDs.
Finally, Michael Lapiña sang some lyrical pieces for Tenor such as This is the Moment from the musical ‘Jekyll and Hyde’, and the finale…an aria from Pagliacci, which raised the virtual roof!
This was an inspirational concert and a big credit goes to Rotary South Bendigo for their effort in its organisation, especially during this pandemic when clearly things are a lot harder than normal.
Bravo!!
Chris
Editor Note: The next Rotary in Harmony concert will be a Rock ’n’ Roll event on Sunday 25th October. Please note that only the first event was a free gift to Rotarians. Future concerts will be at a cost of $10, and will support Australian Rotary Health’s “Lift the Lid on Mental Illness” and The G’Day Network program. Bookings can be made through: https://www.trybooking.com/BLRVQ