Girls sing in harmony

Geelong Harmony Chorus will be in action at the Moolap Baptist Church next Monday as part of the Geelong Seniors Festival.
Ocean Grove’s Diane Gardner has been in the choir for 22 years and said there’s “no divas” in the group.
“It’s the type of music where everybody has to blend – it’s all a cappella.”
The 58-year-old is one of four members of the chorus who will perform at an international competition in Las Vegas later this year.
The four will perform in the Melbourne Chorus, which won a wildcard by coming second in an Australian competition.
While Diane has other musical gigs, her lifelong friendships have kept her coming back to the Geelong Harmony Chorus.
Helping choreograph dance moves for their performances has been another highlight for her.
“We’re not just a group of people who just stand and hold our music,” she said.
“We like to connect with the audience.”
The chorus is always trying to recruit more people to create music, Diane said.
“We’d love to have a bigger sound and we can’t do that unless we have more voices.”
While those looking to join should at least be able to hold a tune, Diane said, they don’t have to be able to read music.
She said part of the appeal of the chorus’s appeal was its emphasis on coaching.
Renowned Perth vocal musical director Alex Morris has been with the chorus for the last few years.
“The vocal education we get is just amazing,” Diane said.
The group is Geelong’s only women’s barber-shop chorus and has performed locally for 24 years, Diane said.
“We do a lot of singing within the community.”
The 34-person chorus competes in interstate competitions every year and will also be “Singing into Spring” at the Potato Shed later this month.