Mansfield Melody Makers is a non-auditioned community choir, started in 2008 by Katherine Yarrow as an outreach activity of the Broadwater Road Uniting Church.
Who can join? Anyone who wishes to share the love of music and singing is most welcome. There are no auditions and we follow the belief that ‘if you can talk you can sing.’ You don’t need to be able to read music or have ever sung before.
The choir operates independently from the church and you are most welcome to join the choir if you are not a member of the church community.
Conductor: Our conductor is Hayley Kitchener. She has been conducting the choir since 2009. Hayley has a long history in music and theatre performance in both classical and contemporary styles. Hayley is qualified with a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Classical Voice at the Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. She also plays piano and guitar and composes contemporary ballads. Hayley has never let her visual impairment stop her from achieving and always inspires us to have a fun time and do our best.
You can find out more about Hayley and hear her amazing voice via the internet. Just type ‘ Hayley Kitchener’ into your search engine.
Accompanist: Our accompanist is Gwen Ward.
When and Where: The choir meets every Tuesday evening in the Broadwater Road Centre chapel during State School terms. We sing from 7pm to 8:30pm then have supper. It is a good idea to arrive ten minutes early in case there is music to be handed out – that way we do not lose singing time. We all help to set up and put away the chairs and tidy up afterwards.
Cost: As we are a self-funded group, members contribute each time they attend. The current donation guideline is $5 per week attended. This money is used to cover our costs – supper, music, honorariums for Hayley and Gwen, etc. We understand that finances can be difficult at times, so give what you can up to the amount suggested. We do not record what each individual puts in the box.
Never let a tough month or week stop you from coming!
Music: We sing a range of music genres from both public domain and copyrighted material. We purchase copyrighted music. This music remains the property of the choir and needs to be returned when no longer in use or if you leave the choir.
Uniform: We have not set a uniform though we have settled on red and black as the choir colours.
Choir outings: Examples of our outings are Wishart Carinity Village, Duhig Village, Blue Care Respite Centre, St Bart’s Carols Service and Broadwater Road Church Community Christmas Carols, amongst others.
Contacts: For further information about the choir please contact Linda, phone 3343 5041, email linmcinnes@hotmail.com, or Sue phone 3349 9443, email rhysandsusan@optusnet.com.au.