At the core of all living things is our behaviour - and what it means to exist. To behave. To fall in line and be “good”, or “bad”, or anything and everything in between. Is there even such a thing as being good or bad? or do we simply react when matters of the head and heart collide.
‍
Feelings and their watery depths have been the inspiration and motivation behind most music since its inception. It’s no wonder opera, musicals, songs and instrumentals open up the heart and allow us ways to help us feel - I always think of a young Hector Berlioz who in the 19th century wrote a fantastic piece of orchestral programme music, “Symphony Fantastique” after he was rejected by the actress Harriet Smithson. Burdened with unrequited love he fled home after asking for her hand and poisoned himself with opium. Drugged out of his mind the composer fell into a dream and saw Harriet in a series of hallucinations: As a cloud floating in the breeze, at a ball, in a pastoral scene and then watching on the sidelines as he was marched to be beheaded and finally at a grotesque satanic dance where she paraded naked as a witch at a diabolical orgy. The work is a favourite with audiences and conductors, and is amazing to listen to in its entirety, but the extreme story around its inception is a grandiose tale of intense emotion that gives it a mythic quality that can’t be touched.

Polyphony’s Human Behaviour program hopes to showcase songwriters and composers at the cutting edge of bottled emotion. It’s in these songs that we rise from the depths but find that we are yearning and lost at sea, feel an ember of desire growing inside, plunge to miserable depths of reckoning, show compassion and empathy to others and ourselves in times of distress, voyage across a landscape of internal fireworks, find an introspective moment in a noisy place, think of a love in a lost time, take off our skin and then our flesh to be vulnerable, bathe in the fire of a new crush and finally serve ourselves for dinner, only to be eaten by the ones we love.

Jack Colwell

I am more used to writing concert run sheets and weekly emails than I am at writing program notes, but since I’m not bound by page limits or printing budgets, I want to take this opportunity to reflect and express my gratitude as I come to the end of my time with Polyphony.

Polyphony has been a core part of my creative expression but very early on, I recognised that I wanted to be a part of giving this opportunity to others. I feel inexpressible happiness and pride that I’ve been able to do this for the past six years in various roles. As adults, there are few moments that we get to do something purely for the joy of doing it. We rarely get to choose to follow a creative passion for practical reasons. I have always seen my purpose as making sure that we are able to keep the lights on and maintain a space for people to come to every week, expressly for the purpose of finding joy and singing our little hearts out. I have prioritised making Polyphony a community that is accessible, affordable and inclusive. I hope that has come across in everything that I’ve done in my time with the choir.

Jack was recently speaking with staff of an elected official about creative community groups. He relayed back to the committee that the staff estimated it cost $500 each time a group put on an event or performance. Dear audience member, the show you are witnessing tonight costs that many times over and also involves thousands of hours of effort from everyone present today. I say this not to make any sort of justification for the price of the tickets that you have bought, but to give you a sense of what is involved in keeping the arts alive and paying artists and contributors fairly, even in a relatively small and local sense. I have enormous gratitude for every member performing today and the hours you have put into rehearsal and personal practice each week. I am so grateful that Paula and Ruben, our extremely talented and overqualified accompanists, have chosen to work with us. I am also so thankful for Lachlan and Chloe for taking us to the next level with sound and lighting.

To every member of Polyphony: I’ve loved getting to know all of you and your passions, pains and pleasures, especially those not related to singing or music. Thank you for bringing my arrangements to life year on year. Thank you most for your commitment to showing up every Wednesday - even when it’s stinking hot and the church has no aircon, even when snacks get missed and we are all hangry, and especially when someone dear to us is unwell and we keep pushing through anyway.

Being a volunteer is sometimes a thankless job, especially for those who've put their hand up to be a part of Polyphony’s committee. Thank you to everyone who has ever chosen to take on this extra responsibility. I also acknowledge and thank the many wonderful people who have contributed deeply to Polyphony without holding formal office or titles. Special regards and deepest gratitude to Anwen, Brendan and Sera. The choir is in wonderful hands with the three of you bringing new energy and perspectives into the committee. I’m really grateful to have had the chance to collaborate with the three of you this past year.

Lastly, congratulations to Jack, who celebrates 10 years with Polyphony as our brilliant and inspiring musical director and conductor. Your musicality knows no bounds and you provide genius musical direction. I am beyond honoured that I've helped execute your exciting visions for the choir and our concerts. Your dedication built this choir into what it is today, going from the brink of closure to a thriving and vibrant community. It feels extremely bittersweet that this concert’s repertoire has both my first and last arrangements (for now), but this wouldn’t have ever been possible without your trust in me, which I am forever grateful for.

Tracey Ho