Being a part of Voices Down Under

JORDAN MOSHE

Although nine years have passed since it last took to Australian stages, “Voices- From Africa to Israel and Beyond”, was received with enthusiasm and warmth by the Jewish communities Down Under.

Conceived, created and led by former Sydenham chazan and singer Oshy Tugendhaft, Voices presented a diverse array of melodies and songs from across the globe. It offered Australians a unique opportunity to connect with South African musicality and invited South African expats to reconnect with their homeland through the nostalgia only music can provide.

Being a chorister with the Waverley Shul choir, I was invited to participate in this unique event as one of 12 Celebration Singers led by choir master Joel Sacher.

From the moment we came into contact with the members of the Australian Jewish community, I realised just what this event meant to them. That is, Australian-born and expats alike.

The tour afforded the Australian community a chance to be a part of a musical experience of such calibre and professionalism that its like has been known in few other places around the world.

We were accompanied by the musical talents of an ensemble comprising local musicians under the consummate musician Bryan Schimmel, and were joined by key soloists and chazonim Ezra Sher and Ivor Joffe. We took audiences through a programme that frequently shifted gears, moving from the sentimental to the stirring, with fluidity and flare.

Voices presented a diverse array of melodies and songs from across the globe, from the Carlebach classic “M’Kimi”, to Israeli songs of hope borne out of the conflicts of the 1960s like “Lo Teda Milchama”, and even the Italian operatic “Mi Mancherai”.

The inclusion of boy group Black Yoghurt (Donovan Yards, Itu Tshabane and Sean McGrath) in our performance further enhanced the magic of this musical spectacular. It’s talented artists danced and sang their way into Australian audiences’ hearts with the nostalgia of the African lullaby “Thula Baba”, the energy of the pop hit “Halo”, Queen’s unforgettable “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, Broadway hits, opera favourites and more.

Working under the direction of Schimmel, as well as the creative influences of choreographer and manager of Black Yoghurt, Owen Lonzar, was exhilarating and enormously demanding.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, in what was invested in us as choristers. This included everything from evening rehearsals, to crash-courses in natural rhythm and basic dance moves (who knew Jewish boys were so capable?) and lessons in wrapping our tongues around Zulu vernacular.

 In spite of the effects of jet-lag, the frustration of repeated soundchecks and the fact that I found myself lost in Perth with a dead cell-phone (rescued eventually by a local in a bakkie who took me to the doorstep of my destination), this tour was an experience of which few can boast.

The local community made such an effort to accommodate us in Perth and Melbourne. They showed us such warmth in hosting us over Shabbat in Sydney. We also got the opportunity to perform unique arrangements and renditions of popular songs that instilled in us a passion that was visible to our audiences.

 The proceeds raised were directed towards worthwhile causes from across the states of Australia, including the Friendship Circle, Australian Friends of the Hebrew University, the Caulfield Shul and the United Israel Appeal.

The multiple benefits of this tour were enjoyed by many. If the enthusiastic reception of Australian audiences was any indication of the show’s success, it won’t be long before the members of the South African community will get the opportunity to enjoy Voices as much as I did.