The Pearl Beach Singers and Friends are set to perform A Night of Song on August 19 and 20.
Spokesperson Lynne Lillico said the group was originally formed in the 1950s as a Glee Club, aiming to raise funds to complete the building of the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall by putting on a number of Grand Concerts.
“In the days before television and when sound recordings consisted of large unwieldy 78rpm discs that played only for a few minutes on a wind-up gramophone, people created their own entertainment at home and for more general consumption,” Lillico said.
“Pearl Beach in 1951 was a small community with about 90 houses and a permanent population of about 130.
“(They were) proud of the recently opened Memorial Hall but then, as now, required a steady flow of funds to pay for rates, electricity, and other essential services.
“It was decided to give a concert during the holiday weekend in June 1950 to raise money for the hall.
“The inspiration for the Glee Club came probably from a popular radio show of the time called The Village Glee Club, but the driving force in Pearl Beach came almost certainly from local residents.”
Lillico said prior to the first concert in 1950, “nine ladies and six gents” met for regular practise sessions in the Hall on Tuesday evenings.
“Others joined them and the Glee Club continued to meet for several years,” she said.
The first concert comprised songs, comedy sketches, a recitation and a guitar solo, backed by the Glee Club Orchestra, and concluded with community singing and the national anthem.
“(It) was evidently a success because another was arranged for the long weekend in October the same year,” Lillico said.
“The next performance in March 1951 showed signs of increasing experience and professionalism.
“The Glee Club Orchestra opened the proceedings with the Song of Australia and Advance Australia Fair, as well as concluding the evening with the national anthem.
“For its New Year holiday production in 1952 the Glee Club tackled something different – a musical version in two acts of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Lillico said a group of local music lovers re-formed in 2010 as The Pearl Beach Singers to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the original Glee Club.
“(They have continued) the tradition to entertain enthusiastic audiences, always filling the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall,” Lillico said.
“They have been able to invite amateur and professional guest musicians and provided performance opportunity for young music students (and) have continued to produce exciting and innovative concerts.
“The success of the 60th anniversary concert encouraged the tradition to continue, and each year new members were welcomed and maintained the pleasure of regular meetings around the piano until 2020 when the COVID pandemic forced their shut-down.”
Now back bigger than ever, the Singers return with a 2022 program featuring a great variety of local talent – young and old, amateur and professional.
“We are delighted to re-open our doors and invite the community, family and friends to come and sing along with the Pearl Beach Singers to have some fun and enjoy a variety of local performances,” Lillico said.
A Night of Song will be performed at 7.30pm on Friday, August 19, and 2.30pm on Saturday, August 20 at Pearl Beach Memorial Hall, with doors opening half an hour prior to each concert.
Tickets are $25 adults and $10 children with concertgoers encouraged to bring their own drinks and nibblies and all proceeds to go towards hall upkeep.
Bookings are advised at www.pearlbeachprogress.org.au/events.
Details: 0411 752 834.
Source:
Media release, Aug 10
Lynne Lillico