Testimonials

Testimonial for WCRMC from Doug Porritt February 2019
It has been my pleasure to have been a part of the Wagga City Rugby Male Choir for four years. The
choir welcomes all comers to provide men with a friendly, supportive atmosphere in which to
produce wonderful and sometimes magical sounds.
There are many special values that make this choir unique, one that comes to mind is the diversity of
repertoire, everything from choral classics to spirituals and modern popular pieces.
Also, as a Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Baritone and Bass choir, the WCRMC can boast the finest Musical
Director and Accompanist in Judy Ferguson and Leonie Hunter.
I heartily recommend becoming a member of the WCRMC to each male singer and potential singer
who seeks to pursue an interest in singing and being a part of something that adds great value to the
community.
If you are looking for a place to sing and enjoy the company of others don't hesitate to attend a
rehearsal to see what all the talk is about.
Doug Porritt

- Doug Porritt

My Membership with the choir.
I wish to comment on my 3 years with the Wagga City Rugby Male Choir . I do so having being a soloist in a band that played at a number of venues in Wagga.
The Choir is a 4 part mens choir. There are 90+ members, and any rehearsal can have up to 60 people on a Tuesday night. Each part is serviced by a website that had both sheet music and sound provided for each part. Judy provided this background briefing before the song was attempted at the rehearsal.
Time was allocated for each part usually by splitting the Choir into 2 parties and doing the preparation before coming together as a full choir and trying out the new or revised song. In passing it is worth mentioning that a group of men are like a gaggle of geese, and it is a reflection of the Conductor reverence that even the incorrigibles shut up when Judy says so.
The polishing of a song is only possible if the Conductor has a clear view on where she wants each song to go. In my short time the choir started from a group of enthusiastic singers some of whom were used to being loud, and not always as tuneful as they thought they were. By peer pressure and conductor persuasion I believe the choir made large steps towards some of the beautiful choirs, whereby the group produced sound that made people listen even when the numbers were not huge. It was not necessary to be loud … but it was important to sound as one. I was part of a group that went to NZ. We performed, yes, with less numbers, but the question we were asked was did we achieve unison. We also were asked how we sang without words!
There is much that can be said about the camaraderie within such a group. I would have to say that increasing competence bred more confidence. The Conductor Judy Ferguson, the accompanist Leonie and the administration led by Dave enabled this growing competence despite the growing membership.
There's no way I can expect such a group to be where I am at the moment. I can only sigh and think fond memories of a time I enjoyed enormously. Keep it up folks!

- John Gaskin