Spirit of Christmas

After the current bombardment of consumerism, it’s nice to immerse yourself in what this time of year should ideally be about – taking a step back to recount the past months, as well as reconnect with, and contribute to, our community. That was the overall theme of this year’s Spirit of Christmas which started with a generous and warm ‘Welcome to Country’ sung by Waveney Yasso, and included a special Christmas message by The Salvation Army’s Major Scott Allen, and a poignant Ukrainian instrumental piece as the stage’s stained glass decorations were flooded with blue and yellow light. After the show there was a chance to contribute to Common Ground Queensland, a charity dedicated to ending homelessness.

A fabulous ‘Christmas Overture’ performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), conducted by musical director, Simon Kenway, paved the way for two wonderful hosts to take to the stage. Courtney Monsma (a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium who has appeared in Frozen, SIX, and Mama Mia) and Alex Rathgeber (graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts who has performed in The Mousetrap, Anything Goes and Phantom of the Opera) are two national home-grown stage stars who remind us of the wealth of talent on our doorstep. And this year QPAC highlighted that awareness by inviting local talent Jacqui Dwyer to the programme: Jacqui only just graduated last week with her Bachelor of Musical Theatre from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.

Also making her QPAC debut was Emma Hadfield, who played the fabulous Concert Hall organ. And, added to the mix were more than 80 fabulous voices of the QPAC Chamber Choir and Voices of Birralee, adding passion and power to traditional tunes such as ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ and animated energy to more modern songs like ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman?’ from Frozen the Musical – of course, performed to perfection by Courtney who has appeared in the stage show. Courtney is an accomplished stage performer, matched in the relaxed style of Alex Rathgeber. Alex has a rich and warm voice, with the versatility to cope with the hymns and more traditional numbers, but I really enjoyed his version of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ – enhanced by the QSO’s string section having some fun with their spinning cellos.

It was nice to hear Alex acknowledge how wonderful it had been to see so many stages reopen to audiences over the past months – and the Concert Hall audience wholeheartedly agreed. In fact, I felt that the they were eagerly waiting to be more included in the proceedings, especially as the show had really started in the foyer about half an hour before curtain up with the QPAC Chamber Choir singing a range of Christmas songs, including the wonderful ‘Sing Noel: African Christmas Song’ which had everyone enthralled. And, while the printed programme included the lyrics to three Christmas Carols, there was no sing-along element – a missed opportunity with such a willing crowd. This year’s concert was directed by Sean Mee with choral direction by Timothy Sherlock, beautiful lighting by Ben Hughes, and crisp sound design and sound desk operation by John McLennan.

The very popular pre-Christmas-weekend gigs were sold out but the whole concert was recorded (with broadcast direction by Kevin Firkins) and will be streamed for free from QPAC’s Digital Stage from 5pm to midnight (AEST) on Christmas Eve, Saturday 24 December.

Tune in to the free online concert at: www.qpac.com.au/event/spirit_of_christmas_digital_stage_22

Beth Keehn

Photographer: Darren Thomas