Vital Voices and Cinema Under the Stars

YOU can try dozens of different diets and detoxes, pills and painkillers, tests or treatments, but there’s one home remedy that can’t be beaten: a good old-fashioned sing-along.

That’s part of the philosophy of Vital Voices, a Border community choir made up of about 30 women from across the North East.

“We get together, we laugh a lot, we sing a lot and it lifts up the spirits,” said choir leader Karen Roben.

“Everyone feels good after a few hours singing.”

This weekend, the choir will launch its new CD, It Is What It Is, with a special performance at Albury Council’s Cinema Under the Stars event.

It’s a huge step forward for the group of women, who started meeting regularly about five years ago just to have some fun and let their hair down.

Ms Roben, of Yackandandah, said many of their chosen songs come from a theme of wellness and well-being as quite a number of the group had been touched by illness.

Among them were Ms Roben herself, who was diagnosed with cancer in May last year.

She was given a short prognosis but defied the doctor’s odds by seeking out alternative therapies — and Vital Voices, she said, had played a big part in keeping her positive.

“I’d rather be singing than have chemotherapy,” she said.

“I’ve chosen to go with natural treatments and this is one of the most beneficial.

“Singing lifts me up — just hearing the sounds and relating to others, and the friendship and bonding.”

Interestingly, this weekend’s Cinema Under the Stars event reflects that very philosophy — Song for Marion tells the story of a husband and wife whose local seniors’ choir keeps them going through her terminal illness.

The group were thrilled with the chance to record the CD, something made possible thanks to funding from Albury Council.

So tonight, Maureen and I journeyed up the Hume Hwy to Frederick Park, Albury to a magical evening under the milky way and southern cross to be treated for an hour to the wonderful voices and harmony of these beautiful women.

This segued perfectly into the uplifting and moving Song for Marion movie as darkness fell over our amazing outdoor amphitheatre.

A most memorable evening.

LARGE and A Close-Up and Video of Vital Voices