The musical prowess of some of the Yarra Ranges’ most established choirs will be on show at the end of this month as they come together for Collaborate!

Combining four choirs, a string ensemble and instrumentalists from the Valley and Dandenong Ranges, with the Yarra Valley Singers’ musical director Belinda Gillam Derry at the helm, the 30 August performance will deliver everything from the classics to original compositions.

The event will feature individual performances from Ranges Young Strings directed by Rosie Burns, Badger Creek Women’s Choir directed by Jenny Legg, The Hills Singers directed by Christelise de Graaf, Kaleidoscope/Vokallista directed by Barb McFarlane and Yarra Valley Singers’ Day, Evening and Chamber Choirs, before they all come together for a mass choir performance, with orchestral accompaniment by the Ranges Young Strings and guest professional artists.

By Mikayla van Loon, news editor/journalist for the Star News Group in collaboration with Belinda Gillam Derry.

These are the words of Belinda Gillam Derry, Musical Director of Yarra Valley Singers (YVS), a community choir established and singing together since 1988. When Belinda stepped into this role, back in 1996, Yarra Valley Singers was a unit of the Dandenong Ranges Music Council (DRMC) who at that time took care of what Belinda refers to as ‘all the official stuff’.

“The YVS committee looked after the things required by the group in its day to day running. They had a treasurer who collected fees but then passed them on to the treasurer of the DRMC, they had a president and a music librarian; members of the committee worked to ensure that the group were covered for everything they needed to do performances which back then were mainly small, local gigs.”

By Deb Carveth, online editor for CMVic in collaboration with Belinda Gillam Derry.