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Have Fun With Your Vocals

November 5th  - November 7th   

Sing A Capella  With Tony Backhouse

Singer, composer, vocal arranger, musical director, workshop leader and author

A variety of musical styles including African American & gospel

FRIDAY 7 – 9 PM, AN INTRODUCTION  (no cost)

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WORKSHOP 10AM TO 4PM

$75 FOR ONE DAY
$135 FOR BOTH  DAYS

Venue:  St. Luke’s Hall, Dennison Street  Junee

SUNDAY 4.30- 5.30 PM

COMMUNITY CONCERT

Junee Licorice Factory

GOLD COIN DONATION

NUMBERS MAY BE LIMITED, BOOK EARLY
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A cappella is singing without instrumental accompaniment

Ring  for more information: Margaret 69 243882  AH,   Lola  69  241674 AH


A Junee Shire Arts Council Event

Who Is Tony Backhouse?

Tony  has sang and played with Renée Geyer, Joe Walsh, Jenny Morris, and the Umbrellas and arranged and recorded backing vocals for Dave Dobbyn, Tim Finn, Kate Ceberano and Vince Jones.

In the late ’80s, eschewing ampli.ed bands  and the attendant lugging, Tony went a more portable musical route: he founded several a cappella groups: the Elevators; the Café of the Gate of Salvation (who have recorded 3 CDs);  gospel choir the Honeybees; and the Heavenly Light Quartet who released one CD in 1997 and have appeared at the major music festivals in Australia. The current trio, the Heavenly Lights performed at jazz and blues festivals in Spain and France in 2003.

Tony was the recipient of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America’s 1993 Contemporary Recording Awards for Best Song and Best Soloist (Runner-up); the Café of the Gate of Salvation received Best Album (Runner-up) Award. He has received many commissions to write songs and a study grant to research Black gospel traditions in the USA.

Tony has made several trips to the USA to research African-American gospel traditions. He has studied ethnomusicology at Memphis State University, observing and singing with African American choirs, quartets and congregations.

Since 1987, he has been running vocal workshops all through Australia and New Zealand, for the public, choirs, organisations, festivals, educational institutions, (including Body & Soul workshops for 4 years with Alexander/Feldenkrais practitioner David Hall).

He is the author of the African American gospel songbook A cappella - Rehearsing For Heaven  (http://www.tonybackhouse.com.au/recordings_ scores.html/songbook) and has released an accompanying double CD anthology/tutorial.

In this two-day workshop learn and sing a number of songs from the black gospel tradition and others in four-part harmony, practice a variety of warm-up exercises, develop listening and improvisation skills, rhythm and range.

Gospel reaches parts of you that other music doesn’t – whatever your spiritual orientation. Interpretation is individual and free expression makes each rendition unique.

Gospel allows you to sing with passion, freedom, rhythm and spirit – you can get your whole body into it. Everyone participates at their own level, whether they have a conventionally beautiful voice or not. Every part in the harmony is important. Everyone’s role is valued and everyone’s contribution enriches the whole.

‘.. Tony teaches with such ease and such an obvious love of the music that it makes for a joyous experience for everyone.” Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Actor 

”As someone who finds singing in the shower stressful, I wasn’t expecting to exactly enjoy Tony’s workshop. However, he soon had me singing loudly and  exuberantly with the rest of the group. I had a blast!” Cal Wilson, Actor

 “TB has probably introduced more people to the physical pleasures of singing gospel music than anyone else in Australasia. On both sides of the Tasman and further a field, dozens of gospel choirs have emerged from his itinerant workshopping, and his arrangements form the backbone of much of their repertoire.  Put simply, as far as this part of the gospel world goes, he’s the man!” Rick Bryant, Singer

 “TB has probably introduced more people to the physical pleasures of singing gospel music than anyone else in Australasia. On both sides of the Tasman and further a field, dozens of gospel choirs have emerged from his itinerant workshopping, and his arrangements form the backbone of much of their repertoire.  Put simply, as far as this part of the gospel world goes, he’s the man!” Rick Bryant, Singer

 Registration Form