Pre-flight concert previews Euro adventure

COMMUNITY choir Women of Note is about to embark on the international trip of a lifetime, mixing songcraft with sightseeing.

Spanning two weeks from late June, up to 50 choir members will visit Prague, Vienna, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Salzburg and Munich, performing along the way.

Choir committee secretary Mary Preece said while there are a series of concerts planned, unsurprisingly, most of the unofficial part of the trip will still be music related.

“We have three or four days in each place and then a bit of traveling in between,” she said.

“The idea is that we do some performances, but when we’re in Vienna, for example, we’ll also go to Mozart House and we’ll take a music tour in Salzburg.

“It should be a really interesting experience.

“One lovely thing that has come about is a women’s choir in Ljubljana got in touch with us and we’re going to catch up with them and do a concert together.

“They’re learning Waltzing Matilda and we’re learning a Lithuanian folk song.”

Preece said one of the main reasons for the trip is when the choir finishes up in Salzburg, there’s a four-day Cantus MM festival it is participating in.

“It’s quite well-known and I think we’re the only Australian group that are going there,” she said.

“It involves a series of partner concerts with one of the other groups and we also do a big concert at the end – it’s in this really superb, beautiful old university hall, so even the venues that we’re going to be singing in are quite exciting.”

Before they take flight, Women of Note will be performing Winter Harmonies 2026 this Sunday afternoon, 24 May at St Paul’s Cathedral in Myers Street.

The recital will be conducted by Anne Begg and accompanied on piano by Peter Butler, with guest cellist Cally Bartlett.

Tickets can be purchased at Gotix