St John Ambulance Concert Band
JOY TO THE WORLD! - A Christmas in July Benefit Concert
Monday 24 June, 2013
For Immediate Release
JOY TO THE WORLD! - A Christmas in July Benefit Concert
Monday 24 June, 2013
For Immediate Release
Ipswich Definitely Abled (IDA) choir
to perform at Christmas in July Benefit Concert, St Paul’s Church Ipswich
Choral and instrumental music will ring out at St Paul’s
Anglican Church, Ipswich when the Ipswich Definitely Abled (IDA) choir helps
the congregation to celebrate Christmas in July and raise money to rebuild the
church’s pipe organ.
Mike Kingham, who has sung with the IDA choir for 2 years, turned 70 this year and attends all choir rehearsals with his faithful guide dog. Mike is visually impaired but lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) later in life when he was a Real Estate Sale Manager in Ipswich. He played and sang in a rock ‘n’ roll group on the 1960s, but life choices such as marriage and family saw him give music away. However, when he retired early because of his visual impairment, he returned to his first love: music. Mike says, “I joined the IDA choir because I wanted to improve my singing. Michelle [Jaques] is a master of music and very patient with us. She dedicates about 10 to 15 minutes every rehearsal to vocal exercises, diction, and technique.”. Mike is one of a small group of 5 people, all with various disabilities, who travel from ALARA (a support group in Laidley) every Monday to rehearse with the IDA choir at St Paul’s Church.
Mike now also sings and plays guitar regularly in his own small group at TABEEL nursing home in Laidley where he says “I’m sometimes jealous of others in the choir that I have to memorise my music and lyrics immediately without being able to read them first, but I think the fact that I can’t see people’s faces in the audience gives me an advantage. My IDA choir rehearsals and not being able to see people’s faces lifts my confidence because I worry less about making a bad impression.”.
Michelle Jaques (Music Director, IDA choir and St Paul’s Anglican Church), Major Ivan Cocking (Music Director, Sy John Ambulance Concert Band), and Mike Kingham all agree that music is a basic human expression and Mike and Michelle strongly believe that if you can talk, you can sing.
As Mike Kingham says, “for everyone in ‘Joy to the World! – A Christmas in July Benefit Concert’ on Sunday 14 July, the performance is a culmination of hard work, some sacrifices, and a lot of good company!”
Joy to the World! – A Christmas in July Benefit Concert
Concert Details:
Time: 3-5pm (stay for supper)
Date: Sunday 14 July, 2013
Place: St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich – Cnr Ellenborough & Brisbane Sts, Ipswich
Cost: ENTRY by Note DONATION (profits help to rebuild the pipe organ in St Paul’s, Ipswich)
Mike Kingham (IDA Choir Member) - Contact Details
Ph: 5465 2572 | Alt/Ph: 54653 742 (c/- Julie Bounds – co-ordinator of Day Centre, Lockyer) | Lives: Laidley
Major Ivan Cocking (Music Director, St John Ambulance Concert Band) – Contact Details
E: [email protected] | Mob: 0416 207 940 | Lives: Loganholme
Michelle Jaques (Music Director, St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich) - Contact Details
E: [email protected] | Mob: 0409 578 521 | Lives: Ipswich
Mike Kingham, who has sung with the IDA choir for 2 years, turned 70 this year and attends all choir rehearsals with his faithful guide dog. Mike is visually impaired but lost his sight due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) later in life when he was a Real Estate Sale Manager in Ipswich. He played and sang in a rock ‘n’ roll group on the 1960s, but life choices such as marriage and family saw him give music away. However, when he retired early because of his visual impairment, he returned to his first love: music. Mike says, “I joined the IDA choir because I wanted to improve my singing. Michelle [Jaques] is a master of music and very patient with us. She dedicates about 10 to 15 minutes every rehearsal to vocal exercises, diction, and technique.”. Mike is one of a small group of 5 people, all with various disabilities, who travel from ALARA (a support group in Laidley) every Monday to rehearse with the IDA choir at St Paul’s Church.
Mike now also sings and plays guitar regularly in his own small group at TABEEL nursing home in Laidley where he says “I’m sometimes jealous of others in the choir that I have to memorise my music and lyrics immediately without being able to read them first, but I think the fact that I can’t see people’s faces in the audience gives me an advantage. My IDA choir rehearsals and not being able to see people’s faces lifts my confidence because I worry less about making a bad impression.”.
Michelle Jaques (Music Director, IDA choir and St Paul’s Anglican Church), Major Ivan Cocking (Music Director, Sy John Ambulance Concert Band), and Mike Kingham all agree that music is a basic human expression and Mike and Michelle strongly believe that if you can talk, you can sing.
As Mike Kingham says, “for everyone in ‘Joy to the World! – A Christmas in July Benefit Concert’ on Sunday 14 July, the performance is a culmination of hard work, some sacrifices, and a lot of good company!”
Joy to the World! – A Christmas in July Benefit Concert
Concert Details:
Time: 3-5pm (stay for supper)
Date: Sunday 14 July, 2013
Place: St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich – Cnr Ellenborough & Brisbane Sts, Ipswich
Cost: ENTRY by Note DONATION (profits help to rebuild the pipe organ in St Paul’s, Ipswich)
Mike Kingham (IDA Choir Member) - Contact Details
Ph: 5465 2572 | Alt/Ph: 54653 742 (c/- Julie Bounds – co-ordinator of Day Centre, Lockyer) | Lives: Laidley
Major Ivan Cocking (Music Director, St John Ambulance Concert Band) – Contact Details
E: [email protected] | Mob: 0416 207 940 | Lives: Loganholme
Michelle Jaques (Music Director, St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ipswich) - Contact Details
E: [email protected] | Mob: 0409 578 521 | Lives: Ipswich
Links to Media Articles...
"Appeal to save aged instrument" http://www.ipswichadvertiser.com.au/news/appeal-to-save-aged-instrument/1927799/
QT - Queensland Times - links to event photos: http://www.qt.com.au/photos/buy/969891/ & http://www.qt.com.au/photos/buy/969892/ &
http://www.qt.com.au/photos/buy/969888/
http://www.qt.com.au/photos/buy/969888/