GET TO KNOW US
Soulfood is a multi-award winning Australian a cappella vocal group. We are a Sydney based Community Choir, offering a diverse menu of motown, soul and retro-pop – reimagined in our signature Soulfood sound – and performed by a seamless 50-voice ensemble.
Soulfood won the John Lamble Australasian Open Choral Championships in 2009, 2011, 2013, and again in 2018, and were finalists in Channel 7's Battle of the Choirs.
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Soulfood have performed in numerous well-known venues across Australia such as The Sydney Opera House, The Basement, Lizotte’s, The Concourse, The Independent Theatre, and The Monkey Baa (Darling Harbour), as well as the Jenolan Caves, Manly Jazz Festival, and Tasmania's Festival of Voices.
Highlight television and broadcast performances include Channel 7's Sunrise and The morning Show, Network Ten, ABC 702, ABC's SingOut Sydney twice as a featured Choir, and participated in Tasmania’s Festival of the Voices three times, which included masterclasses with Pitch Perfect’s Deke Sharon.
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Soulfood has released two CDs ‘Scissors, Paper, Song’ and ‘Soulfood Christmas’ which are both available on ITunes and Spotify.
THE CHOIR
Soulfood currently has 55 members spread over 5 parts: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
As a Sydney Community Choir, our members are engineers, music teachers, business managers, physios, journalists, full-time parents, musicians, computer programmers, nurses, psychologists and more, and their ages range from 20 through to 72.
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Each member is auditioned for the group, and many of our current members have been performing with the group since its inception in 2004.
Members contribute much more than just their voices to the choir. We are a community choir and each member contributes to the running of the group.
Soulfood rehearses in Naremburn, Sydney from 7:15-9:45pm every Thursday.
A rehearsal will usually consist of warm-ups, a musical challenge of some sort, intensive work on new repertoire, and "Juke Box Thursday", where an old song is pulled out and dusted off.
All our music is performed from memory, and members are expected to practise their music in between rehearsals. An 80% attendance is a required commitment level for each member.
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We audition all year round to fill vacancies as they arise.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Melissa Kenny is a professional musician, well known in the Sydney music scene. Melissa completed her B.Mus. in composition at the University of Sydney under Peter Sculthorpe, and followed this with a Diploma of Jazz Studies in trombone at the Sydney Conservatorium.
She plays trombone and piano, sings professionally, and has performed with Cantillation, The Renaissance Players, Sydney Chamber Choir, The Australian Voices, the Contemporary Singers, Sydney Philharmonic Motet Choir, ACO Voices, the Brandenburg Singers, Selah, and various salsa groups.
Soulfood was established out of Melissa's passion for soul music and rich vocal harmony. She conducts and arranges for the group, mentoring other aspiring arrangers as well. She enjoys the challenge of seeing Soulfood reach its potential and then some!
Melissa's other commitments include conducting other community choirs, vocal workshops in schools and lecturing at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
AUDITIONS
Thinking of joining Soulfood?
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To audition, simply send a video of you singing an uptempo pop song to auditions@soulfood.org.au. In your email, please include your preferred vocal part (Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass).
If you’re not sure of the vocal range for each part, we can send you a guide document.
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As a Sydney Community Choir, membership fees are $600 per year, plus an initial administration fee of $30. Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings in Naremburn during term times.
Please note, Soulfood will continue to be guided by NSW government and health advice in regards to keeping our members safe. This includes recommendations for our members and auditionees to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations in order to attend rehearsals, auditions and performances, and to stay home if you have cold or flu symptoms.
Members are expected to attend at least 80% of rehearsals.
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We look forward to hearing from you!