Join the virtual No Excuses! Choir

ACU Engagement is excited to announce that, due to current restrictions and lockdowns, the ACU No Excuses! Women’s Choir will be a fully live-streamed event. Female staff from all campuses are invited to join the choir.

The choir will perform virtually through various means, including pre-recorded video and some live-streamed songs. The live-streamed concert will also include soloists and interviews.

This means that we can now invite female staff from across all campuses to join the choir and perform in the live-streamed concert to raise funds for Impact for Women, a charitable organisation that provides assistance to women and children fleeing domestic violence.

Rehearsals are being conducted via Zoom. This is an all-abilities community choir and no auditions are required. All you need is an interest in music or singing and a willingness to participate.

All performers will volunteer their time and services. There is no cost to participate. However, we have established a donation page for Impact for Women, which you can find on our website for those who wish to contribute.

Rehearsals

Rehearsals will be held via Zoom on alternating Sundays (3pm–5pm) and Mondays (5pm–7pm) on the following dates:

Sunday 29 August
Monday 6 September
Sunday 12 August
Monday 20 September
Sunday 26 September
Monday 4 October
Sunday 10 October

The music is easy to learn and is written in a popular style. You do not need a choir background and the songs are quite uplifting. More than 60 people have registered so far, so you will have plenty of support around you.

Join the choir

Choir members will engage in a safe space.

Performance

Performance date and time: Thursday 14 October 2021, 7pm

Tickets to attend this virtual live-streamed event will be available from mid-September.

It is hoped that there will be an opportunity in the future, when restrictions ease, to have a concert in Melbourne with Victorian choir members.

About No Excuses!

In 2015, through a Creative Victoria grant, Dr Kathleen McGuire was commissioned to compose an inspirational work for women on the theme of family violence. She collaborated on the project with Dr Christina Green, who was working as a music therapist in a women’s shelter.

Together they created No Excuses!, an original choral suite inspired by true stories from women survivors of family/domestic violence. Women from all walks of life participated in performances, which brought joy, hope and healing to many.

Due to recent public attention on issues of women’s safety, No Excuses! will be revisited again, this time to raise funds for Impact for Women.

SBS will also be filming a TV news story about the No Excuses! Choir which will capture the essence of the project and showcase the music and message. They will be attending some rehearsals and interviewing some singers who have personal experiences of domestic violence.

For further information, please contact acuengagement@acu.edu.au.