Standing Room Only

Queen Margaret Chorale sublime in Standing Room Only showcase – Supported by QMC Old Girl, Ella Monnery

In July, the Queen Margaret Chorale was turning heads inside a packed QMC Hall at the ‘Standing Room Only’ showcase. It was the first public performance for the group’s 47 members in 2021 – a year in which major events, including the Big Sing, were cancelled for safety reasons. Chorale Musical Director Mark Stamper says that coordinating this year’s Chorale has been one of the more unique experiences in his career to date.

““ “We had over 30 singers audition for 17 solos, and most of them would have been amazing. There has “I am so proud of the group’s energy, commitment, focus and our eventual musical product. Everyone maintained a strong sense of determination and been incredible growth willingness to grow, despite inside our group over the adverse circumstances the past four years.” due to Covid-19,” said Mr Stamper.

“The Chorale showcased its talents “Chorale means so much to all with a diverse portfolio of music, including pieces from ‘Hairspray’, songs made famous by Disney princesses and a medley from ‘Les Misérables’, performed alongside the Wellington College Chorale. ‘Seasons of Love’ from ‘Rent’ was the final number - a song that speaks to all that can happen in a year and what a year 2021 has been. Year 13 Chorale member, Sophia Hallum-Clarke, said that having the opportunity to perform in public, given the context of 2021, was certainly a privilege. of us! Although we love the Big Sing experience, what we truly care about is the opportunity to learn new songs, grow as a group and show off our hard work. Not having the Big Sing gave us the opportunity to bring back SRO, an incredible night of music and celebration with our friends. We are so grateful we were able to perform for an audience, given the challenging environment of 2021.”

Standing Room Only also featured outstanding performances from the Wellington College Chorale and QMC Old Girl, Ella Monnery. Ella performed two numbers and is fresh from her success as a contestant on The Voice Australia. She was heartbreakingly unable to continue in the competition due to travel restrictions.

STUDENT GROUPS FURTHERING IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS

Supporting students to feel empowered is important to the college, so it is heartening to see more student-led groups forming and growing which aim to break down barriers and challenge thinking and archetypes.

Eve Robertshawe and Minmini Karunanidhi, Year 11

QMFem“ “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women” – Maya Angelou.

Standing up for what you believe in is not just about voicing your opinions and perspectives, it’s about empowering and inspiring others to do the same. Feminism is a term that is often misunderstood. But at its core, it’s really about standing up for equal rights and opportunities for all. We recognised the support and resources on offer at our school, so we thought, why not use them to make a positive change and advocate for something we believe in?

We’ve started a new association at Queen Margaret College called QMFem, which stands for Queen Margaret Feminism. QMFem aims to prompt an important conversation and create an environment within Queen Margaret College and our wider community, where all gender identities are celebrated, relevant issues are discussed, and interesting ideas are exchanged. QMFem is a way to empower students and encourage them to use their voices. We believe it is vital to match our aspirations and vision with hard work to create tangible outcomes. QMFem holds weekly meetings every Thursday. In these meetings, group members collaborate and work on tasks towards our goals. Our goals include initiating projects focused on awarenessraising, volunteering, and fundraising, as well as potential collaboration with teachers about the vibrant role feminism can play in their classrooms.

Each term begins with a ‘Starting the Conversation’ event, where guest speakers from the community are invited to share their stories. These events aim to spark discussion about a gender-related topic linked to an overarching theme. The theme for Term 4 2021 was ‘Inspiring the Future’. At the inaugural QMFem event, Naomi Ferguson, the first female Commissioner of the Inland Revenue Department, spoke to students, faculty, and parents.

QMFem is an inclusive association that embraces difference. We are looking to grow as we continue to progress our vision next year and beyond. QMFem gives us goals to step up to, a platform to speak up from, and a community to stand up for.