MEMORIES OF AMERICAFEST: 20 YEARS ON

As the arts emerges from its enforced hiatus, and we celebrate live performance once more, we think back to a time when the ABCI travelled to share its voice and vision with the world.

This year marks 20 years since the ABCI last attended AmericaFest, a 10-day festival that brought together choirs from around the world. The invitation-only, bi-annual event was held from 1994 until 2002. In 1998, 2000, and 2002, the Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal Consort represented the country with distinction, both musically and in their conduct.

ABCI singers performed at St John’s Abbey in Minnesota, a grand building with a capacity of over 1500. The modern building was designed in the early 1950s for an expanding Benedictine Order that had outgrown its original abbey. It was considered an unlikely venue for the Choir’s performance of traditional and contemporary Australian pieces, including Past Life Melodies by Sarah Hopkins, a medley of Australian folk songs incorporating Waltzing Matilda and Botany Bay, and a work more familiar to American audiences, the patriotic Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Pomp and ceremony were hallmarks of the two large, public concerts. Carrying the Australian flag, Choir Leader David Carbines proudly led the ABCI contingent. It was clear the Choir was well-prepared, musically and technically, readily sight-reading scores. Many other attendees struggled to sight-read; a skill ABCI members master early in their rigorous training.

Funding tours of up to 40 people to the USA was not an easy task. To assist with the costs of the 1998 tour, the ABCI sold merchandise as it travelled. The items included printed copies of Favourite Rounds and Canons, which many choral music instructors acquired. Australian Boys Choir hats were another popular item, selling out early in the tour. Evelyn Douglas, a carer for the boys quipped, ‘there were so many others wearing our hats, you could not distinguish the Aussies from everyone else!’

The popularity of the hats reflected the camaraderie that had developed between participants. The boys made friends easily with those from America and Canada. Despite the language barrier, some forged ties with boys from China and the Czech Republic.

These friendships had been fostered, no doubt, through their common love of music and the various social activities that had been organised throughout the festival. One such activity included the boys being divided into groups to stamp their handprints onto a square of calico using vibrant paints. The fabrics were then sewn together to form two colourful banners which were displayed at public performances. The banners symbolised the friendships that had blossomed through shared experiences. As Evelyn reminisced, ‘The purpose of AmericaFest was to make great music, good friends, and to have some fun. We all worked very hard on those three aspects to the detriment of our sleep, but it was a most memorable experience.’

Amid the bustle of rehearsing and performing were moments of leisure. Being summer, water sports at local pools and lakes were popular activities. Former ABCI chorister and tour participant Adrian Dusting recalls, ‘we taught the Americans [Australian Rules] footy.’ The boys left part of a great Australian tradition in America.

Each appearance at AmericaFest was followed by a tour of several States and later also Canada. These engagements comprised a mixture of sightseeing and choral performances. After the 2000 tour, Chorister Stewart Burns said, ‘an experience like this may only happen once in a lifetime – I have been very lucky to enjoy it twice.’

Despite the excitement of meeting their welcoming host families, and much-anticipated visits to places such as the Mall of America, Universal Studios, and Camp Snoopy, the young choristers worked hard during the rigorous tour schedule, with very little time for rest. Gabriel Lynch, a chorister on tour, said ‘AmericaFest was terrific...but sometimes became exhausting.’

On their return journey in 1998, the weary choristers slept through the whole flight and even missed their meals. They were welcomed home with two servings of breakfast and quickly recovered to perform at Postcard from Abroad, the homecoming concert of the tour at Melba Hall. Such grit is a testament to the boys’ dedication and their love of musical performance. Perhaps this is the essence of the ABCI; whether they are expanding their horizons through international travel, or harnessing online technology to keep the music flowing, their commitment to excellence remains.