Rotary Concert – fundraiser for new theatre and music bursary

The Rotary Club of Bendigo South presented the following article to members of Rotary District 9800.

We’ve all been sentenced to spend time in Bendigo next year as part of our Rotary community service. After a $30m makeover, the old Bendigo gaol, now the new Ulumbarra theatre, is the main venue for our District Conference next year.

But here’s the good news, we now have an early opportunity to get a taste of what “life inside” will be like in advance. The Rotary Club of Bendigo South are hosting a fundraising concert on Sunday 27th September at the Ulumbarra theatre featuring Australia’s First Lady of song, Marina Prior, together with the Victoria Welsh Choir. Members and friends of Rotary District 9800 are invited to “do some time” at this special event.

Renowned as the star of numerous national stage productions of popular musicals, Marina is also well known to television audiences through her appearances on shows such as Carols by Candlelight. Later this year she will play the role of Baroness Schraeder in “The Sound of Music”.

The Victoria Welsh Choir sings in the distinctive spine-tingling, four-part harmony of the traditional Welsh male choir. Their repertoire includes stirring hymns, beautiful ballads, show tunes, age-old folk songs, arias and Celtic favourites. They guarantee that you will leave the concert with ”a smile on your face and a glow in your heart”

In keeping with the Rotary Club of Bendigo South’s mantra of connecting to the community, this concert is the start of a new initiative aimed at encouraging community groups to be able to utilise this magnificent facility.

Rod Spitty, Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Bendigo South comments:

“Our Club wanted to develop a community theatre fund to strengthen community links with the new theatre and to encourage user groups into the many spaces of the complex. We are very pleased to see this come to fruition in a partnership with the Victoria Welsh Choir and the City of Greater Bendigo. It is our intention that similar concerts be held every 2 years involving the Choir and other well known performers, with the proceeds continuing to build this community fund.”

Continuing the community connections, the new theatre is a joint facility of Bendigo Senior Secondary College as well as the City of Greater Bendigo. The Rotary Club of Bendigo South also provides an annual scholarship for the BSSC Musician of the Year. The 2014 Scholarship winner, Kaitlin White a pianist, will also perform at this concert.

So why not take the trip up the Calder for a nice Sunday drive in the country, get a sneak peak before District Conference next year at the architecturally inspiring Ulumbarra theatre, treat yourself to an afternoon of great music, while supporting a great local cause in Bendigo.

Tell all of your friends about this one day only concert in September, as this Rotary project is definitely a trailblazer for District 9800.

Marina Prior and the Victoria Welsh Choir appear at 2pm, Sunday September 27 at Ulumbarra Theatre Bendigo. Tickets on sale now at www.gotix.com.au or phone the box office on 5434 6100.

Entry is $40 or $36 with concessions and $20 for children.

Matthew Scott
Director of Club Communications