Rosemary Nairn OAM
Rosemary Nairn has been associated with choirs of all age groups for nearly 50 years and still looks forward to new challenges associated with music and people.
Her love for music began from a very early age. She was influenced firstly by her mother, a great ‘sight-reader’, who played piano to provide the mood during the showing of silent movies in the Burra Institute in the 1920’s. Then it was her music teacher/uncle, a pipe organist and later Music Director of the Robert Cosgrove High School in Hobart, who taught Rosemary to play the piano.
Rosemary has had a long involvement with The South Australian Primary Schools Festival of Music, with 9 years as ‘Director of Music’. Since retiring from that position she has continued to support several schools as their choir accompanist.
In 2002 the SA Country Choral Association asked Rosemary to write a Musical Tribute (‘Two Captains’) to celebrate the bicentennial of the historic meeting between Matthew Flinders and Nicholas Baudin at Encounter Bay. The choir, 250 singers from Country SA, was accompanied by the Unley Symphony Orchestra, with Rosemary herself as the narrator. The work was presented in Victor Harbor, Adelaide and Port Lincoln.
In 2006 Rosemary wrote a Musical Tribute (‘Tracks through the Mallee’) performed by the Lameroo Regional District School for the Centenary Celebrations of the Lameroo and Mallee Districts of SA. Rosemary has warm connections with Lameroo, living in the mallee for 12 years and being an integral part of the local Border Musical Society.
Over the years Rosemary has also conducted many massed choir concerts in regional areas, especially the Eyre Celebrates and Eyre Remembers marathon concerts, as well as concerts for the SA Country Choral Association, SACWA, the Royal School of Church Music and the Uniting Church. She has had a 25 years association as Music Director with the Woodville Concert Choir, an adult choir of 70 members. She has tutored with the Young Adelaide Voices and the Australian Girls Choir (for 9 years), and regularly adjudicates at the Balaklava Eisteddfods. She has assisted in the publication of an Educational Resource Music Book for Aboriginal Studies – The Songs of Buck McKenzie.
For two years Rosemary conducted the Lobethal Harmony Club, a male choir of forty voices. She is currently organist and choir director of Brougham Place Uniting Church and also conducts a group of women in the McLaren Vale region - the Tatachilla Ladies Choir, or as they are fondly known, 'The Sisters of Abundance'.
At Christmas time she assists in the McLaren Vale region conducting the massed SATB choir for its presentations at the community carols evening and local hospital. Rosemary is also the chorus director of the Adelaide Harmony Choir.
In 2003 Rosemary received an OAM for her lifetime quest of teaching choral work and music education throughout the community of South Australia.
Rosemary enjoys observing the inspirational and positive effect that choral singing has on people's lives.
Helen has been a valuable asset to Illumina SA Inc. since its inception when she was both our reserve accompanist and a chorister. With the departure of Betty Tothill OAM in January 2011, Helen accepted the role of accompanist for Illumina.
Helen is an experienced accompanist who began playing piano and organ for church services as a teenager. She then went on to accompany the Churches of Christ Youth Choir which specialised in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
For many years Helen was the repetiteur for a number of groups including the Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Savoyards, the Marie Clark Theatre Company, Achord and the Matinee Entertainers.
From 1996 – 2007 Helen was an accompanist for school choirs taking part in the South Australian Primary Schools Festival of Music.
She also accompanied three of the training choirs within the Adelaide Girls Choir (now Young Adelaide Voices).
Helen was accompanist for the Maughan Uniting Church Choir and the Good News Singers (who performed on radio) and currently she accompanies the Myall Ensemble, and the vocal quartet Cantorae.