january 13 - 19 | 2016
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circulating in wangaratta, myrtleford, bright, mt beauty, beechworth, yackandandah, rutherglen, chiltern and districts
Keys to happiness By KYLIE WILSON
A MUSICAL LIFE:
Sandra Williams is well known in Beechworth and throughout the North East for her musical prowess. PHOTO: Wendy Stephens
GARDENING WITH
CHERYL
RSPCA
FILM
VIOLET &
THE BIG
WITH
POPPY
WINE TALK WITH
SHORT
ANITA
A Christmas worth saving for.
WHETHER it is tickling the ivories at a community event, providing accompaniment for a stage production, or providing majestic organ music for church services, Beechworth’s Sandra Williams is not far away. She has spent decades playing and teaching music, and has lost none of her passion for her favourite pastime. “I just love the thrill of being involved in all different types of music,” she said. “It’s the ability to put your mind somewhere else. “You’ll play a piece of music and you absolutely know what the composer was thinking of at the time.” That includes pieces for this weekend’s Opera in the Alps at Beechworth. While Sandra is not on stage, she has forged a connection with those performing in the event, playing for Opera Scholars Australia and choir rehearsals in the lead up to the prestigious event. She will also be accompanying three Opera Scholars Australia finalists at a performance at Brown Brothers in Milawa this Sunday. Her involvement with Opera in the Alps began in 2014 when the Beechworth Anglican Church, where she is an organist, was sought as a rehearsal venue. Sandra was talking with organisers Graeme and Margot Wall, discovering they were all past Melbourne University students, and her involvement with the event’s rehearsals have grown ever since. She said she loves helping because of “the sheer professionalism of the conductors and the people working with the choir”. Sandra’s own fascination with music began at the tender age of three. continued page |
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