Whimsical Wheatbelt: Green Shoots Choir gathers in Narrogin for street rehearsal ahead of Hay Bales Concert

With the Hay Bales Concert less than three weeks away, the Narrogin Green Shoots rehearsals are ramping up with the choir taking to the streets for its first open-air rehearsal. Choirmaster Viviane Knight said the move outdoors would give the choir a chance to test the dynamics and requirements of an open-air performance. “It makes a big difference,” she said. “Not so much for the voice itself but on sound and perception, what you hear yourself singing. “If there’s a wind, the wind will take your voice, the sound goes into nothing, you have nothing to bounce your sound against and you’ve got to know what you’re singing and be confident.” The choir — whose rehearsals in Narrogin have been accompanied by a keyboard and violin — will perform with the Perth Symphony Orchestra at the concert along with local acts, including folk and blues players. As the performance date nears and anticipation builds, Ms Knight hopes the rehearsal on Federal Street will help the singers’ centrestage transition. “If I can reduce the surprise that they will have, we’ll have a win,” she said. Passing cars honked and waved in support of the group and several people stopped to enjoy the sound. Jim Curnow, whose wife Pat is in the choir, leant against a fence across the road and listened as dusk fell. “I used to sing with some of the singers,” he said. “It’s really good for them to have the experience in the open air which is what Hay Bales will be, it’s quite different. “I know when we’ve sung at Anzac Day or Carols in the Park, it feels like you’re not doing anything, the sound doesn’t come back to you.” Mr Curnow was impressed with the choir’s progress and glad he had scored a ticket to the sold-out concert. “They will lift once again once they’ve got the orchestra and the instruments with them, it’s amazing how it lifts you,” he said. “Viviane is a driven lady, she knows what she wants and she works hard to get it.”