OUR STORY - OUR MUSIC
How we began
We began when some 150 women filled the foyer of the Australian Parliament with a song of Lament on 18 March 2003 as the Australian Government joined the US-led invasion of Iraq. The Lament, our first song, was written only four days prior by Glenda Cloughley and Judith Clingan AM. It was seen by millions on national and international media.
Here is the video clip.
As you heard, Fran Kelly, the 7.30 reporter, gave us our name when she referred to us as 'A Chorus of Women'.
This started Glenda thinking about the Chorus (often women) in ancient Greek theatre, who commented on the action and what would happen. That night she wrote this letter to the women who had joined the singing:
Glenda's letter from 19 March 2003
Many of the women responded and joined 'A Chorus of Women' - and the rest, they say, is history!
A few weeks after we had begun we articulated our Mission Statement.
Our music
From the beginning we decided to write our own music. Our aim was to give voice to the concerns of the people. We wanted to be non-adversarial, focussing on what we have in common and what we are hoping for. Our initial focus was peace and humanity, including social justice issues such as treatment of refugees.As concerns about our changing climate grew, more songs emerged to speak out about the threats posed to humanity and all of nature by climate change. We wanted to encourage restoring the harmony between people, as well as people and the Earth.
The art videos below were produced by our dear artist friend Sally Blake.
Songs for peace on Earth
She Spins
written by Meg Rigby in 2003This song about the delicate threads in life’s vast web. It was part of A Chorus of Women's first big work, Websong (2004) - a ceremony about death and renewal.
Ubuntu
written by Johanna McBride in 2005The Zulu philosophy of Ubuntu was at the heart of the peace and reconciliation process initiated by South African leaders Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela in the early 1990s after the horrors of the Apartheid years. Often translated as 'our shared humanity', Ubuntu expresses the interdependence of all humanity and our interconnectedness with all of nature, which makes violence among human beings and destruction of our environment morally untenable and nonsensical.
A Recipe for Peace
written by Glenda Cloughley in 2006This song was written during the war between Israel and Hezbollah in August 2006 for two 'Sharing Grief - Breaking Bread' events in Civic, which were hosted by A Chorus of Women and Women in Black. These simple ceremonies enabled people to express their grief and their longing for humane approaches to conflict resolution and reconciliation. The song includes traditional Middle-Eastern blessings and is inspired by rituals of sharing bread, which are common to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The video below was recorded at our 2024 Christmas singing in Parliament House.
Spirit Songs for Anzac Eve
written by Glenda Cloughley in 2011Glenda wrote this song for our first lantern-lit Anzac Eve Peace Vigil, on top of Mount Ainslie, overlooking the city and the Australian War Memorial. These Anzac Eve Peace Vigils have continued annualy to this year.
In our Anzac Eve Peace Vigils we seek to remember all the victims of war and violence and to respectfully re-imagine our commemoration of Australia's war history. Our focus is on remembering the dead together with the other traumatic impacts of war, which touch nearly all Australian families - including Aboriginal people, refugees and migrants. We also lament the terrible losses suffered by our First Nations people since the arrival of the white settlers in 1788.
We made the following video using images from previous vigils for our only Anzac Eve Vigil we couldn't hold in public, because of Covid. In 2020 the event was held online. Click on the link to see a recording of our online Vigil.
Songs for peace with the Earth
Dear Earth
written by Johanna McBride in 2006, words of verse 2 by Gill ChristieJohanna wrote this song for an event called 'For Love of the World - Interfaith Action on Climate Change.
'Dear Earth' originated from musings about our 'living Earth'. Johanna also wonderd about home - the place where we feel safe, where we belong. A sacred place. A place under serious threat because of what we have done. A song of sorrow and love to help us change our ways.
The Promise
written by Glenda Cloughley in 2009This song was written by Glenda as the finale of her big story song The Gifts of the Furies, about climate change. It shows what happens if people put the laws of civilisation above the laws of the Earth. In the end, the goddess of the city, Athena in ancient Greece and in this story our own 'Ethos', the statue representing the spirit of Canberra mediates between the Furies spirits of the Earth and the people by promising to restore harmony between people and Earth.
This recording was made at our 20th anniversary singing, when we returned to the Foyer of the Australian Parliament House in 2023 (click on the image to hear the music).
The Lament 2023
written by Glenda Cloughley and Judith Clingan in 2023In 2023 we returned to the Foyer of the Australian Parliament House for our 20th anniversary, this time by invitation.
We sang a new version of 'The Lament' our first song (see above), this time for a People's Chorus, starting with the initial Lament, followed by a call of the women to the men:
Would you give your voice to the song of life
Would you give your promise to children and Earth
Will you sing for peace through the power of love
So lament will turn to renewal
Would you give your promise to children and Earth
Will you sing for peace through the power of love
So lament will turn to renewal
All men and women respond with their commitment.
Significant Chorus projects
In addition to activities reflected in the songs above here are some other projects. You can click on the links for more information.Glenda Cloughley wrote two big works for a citizens' chorus and small orchestra.
The Gifts of the Furies (2009 - 2011) was a big story song about climate change and right relations between people and Earth.
A Passion for Peace (2015) was a community oratorio, including a children's chorus, telling the amazing story of the 1915 International Congress of Women. This was the only peace conference during World War 1, where the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) was founded. This conference coincided with the Gallipolli landing of the Anzacs. The premier performance was part of a big Festival for Peace, marking the centenary of WILPF.
The People's Passion (2018, 2019) was a reworking of A Passion for Peace, to mark the centenaries of the armistice and the disastrous treaty of Versailles.
Janet Salisbury initiated and facilitated a series of a series of citizen conversations on topics of importance for our future. These Canberra Conversations ran between 2009 and 2014.The emphasis was on dialogue and deliberately bringing together different perspectives. We used our music to deepen the connection between all present.
All our music is available under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, Share Alike Licence. This means that the songs can be used freely under these conditions:
Attribution: Acknowledge author (authors) and A Chorus of Women
Non-commercial: No commercial use
Share-alike: The songs can be arranged for special purposes as long as the work and its intention are respected and others share alike.
Please contact us on chorusofwomen@incanberra.com.au if you would like to sing any of our songs. Also, please let us know if you have sung and/or rearranged any of our songs. We are keen to hear about this.
