Caulfield City Choir Inc did not officially become Glen Eira City Choir Inc until July of 1996, and so the first concert to celebrate the choir’s 50th anniversary year, on the evening of June 3, was under the Caulfield name. This concert, titled ‘50 Golden Years’, was a collaboration with the South Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which was also celebrating fifty years of existence.

The choir’s contributions to the programme were Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria in D Major’, Schubert’s ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’, Brahms’ ‘O Schöne Nacht’, Fauré’s ‘Cantique de Jean Racine’, Verdi’s ‘Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves’, and Rutter’s ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’ and ‘A Gaelic Blessing’. The orchestra opened the concert with Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ and performed Franz Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’, as well as accompanying the choir.

Guest soprano, Lisette Wesseling, sang two solos as well as taking the solo soprano role in the Vivaldi, alongside the alto soloist and new choir conductor, Jennifer Mathers.

Read more about the sixth decade here.