Our final meeting was a delightful end to this challenging year. The 90 members and guest present enjoyed a happy combination featuring inductions of two new member, Sue Smith & Prabal Soans and a memorable reminder of iconic past Rotary Melbourne member, John Mitchell, delivered by past President, Kevin Sheehan.
The Wednesday meeting saw the launch of a new vocal trio – Mia Sorella (Italian for ‘My sister’. They’re not actual blood sisters but their voices blend so well and their aura is so gentle and welcoming that we all felt like one big family in their presence. International opera singer Michelle Francis Cook founded the group, when she came back to her home base Melbourne from living and singing in Barcelona and other European opera houses, engaging other sopranos Shauntai Batzke and Helen Ling. Shauntai and Helen are both graduates of Melbourne University. You may have seen Shauntai in action on SBS-TV and other platforms, as she has been a leading performer in Deborah Cheetham’s Short Black Opera Company for over ten years. As for Helen, as well as giving recitals and entertaining at corporate events, she also teaches at Overnewton.
The program they gave started with opera and song, then featured spiritual and sacred trios, including one of Shauntai’s own compositions in Language. We were treated to inspired operatic sopranos singing a combination of reflective and carol based songs that brought lumps to many throats.
David Kram AO organised this event, as he has known these artists for quite some time. Indeed, Michelle was one of his students at VCA Opera before she left for Europe in the early noughties. Good to bring back talent with experience accrued overseas and brought back home to enrich our culture.
Bravo and congratulations Maestro David. Your creative talents a unique and warming presence in our beloved Club. You are a Rotary treasure.
It was a moving event and a positive experience setting the scene for a joyous festive season. Thank you all who were able to attend.
