Denmark Festival of Voice 2010

A Standing Ovation To All Involved

The amazing Mr Percival

Congratulations, or more appropriately a standing ovation, to the Action Group who have organised and produced this year's sublime Denmark Festival of Voice 2010. Our community members Simon Neville, Dallas Newcombe, Donald Clarke, Melissa Taylor and Dwayne Peppin have put in an enormous number of volunteer hours, to raise the Festival from the ashes of a year in hibernation, to the extraordinary event which was produced this past weekend. Please take the time to personally thank these individuals when you see them next.

Sonia Anderson, who took on the unchartered and unexplored territory of Artist Liaison person, as well as leading that stunning song in the One Voice Finale... our love and thanks to you.

To each and every volunteer member I send my heartfelt THANKYOU for your generous input, which allows this Festival to happen, and as we have seen, your work and support allowed extra creative ideas such as the One Voice Closing Concert to happen in the extraordinary way it did. A festival within a Festival, as many have experienced.

Our Action Group sincerely thanks each and every visual artist, poet, singer, musician, dancer, storyteller, chanter, comedian, MC, stage manager, box office worker and audience member who engaged with, and shared so generously, with us all... and another raucous ovation!

Choir for Gaia led by Lumari McGuinness

To our Artist in Residence Grace Barbe, who worked creatively with the Steiner School, Denmark Primary, TAFE music students, Eklektika choir and in collaboration with so many local singers and musicians, I know that our whole community thanks you for enriching us. A special highlight of Grace's work were the original collaborative compositions with Joe Williams, Katie White and Jeremy Jongsma.

To Jill Haymann and Teresa Thornell, the gastronomic dream team, and all the bar staff, our love and thanks for putting in such a sustained effort to make the Festival Club such an enormous success.

Our Action Group thanks Denmark Arts Christine Ritter and Teresa Thornell, and the committee, for supporting the delivery of an event which brings so much to this community. From the wonderful community development aspects, the performances and workshops, the life and colour in our streets, to over $400,000 in income to this community. The Arts Council should be applauded and supported.

A special acknowledgement should be made to local sponsors Matildas Estate wines and the Denmark Hotel for the considerable financial support they have given. Without local support this Festival is not sustainable. Likewise I would like to thank the Denmark Bulletin, Andimaps, Thorntons, South Coast Properties, Artycool Design, Denmark Visitors Centre, Chamber of Commerce and Mooved, for their contribution towards the Festival.

Local stars Katie White and Jeremy Jongsma

The six hundred people who attended the One Voice Closing Concert, the free to the community event supported by Lotterywest, experienced an event like no other in Denmark's history. Showcasing the extraordinary talents of the Festival headline acts who led the community to sing and dance, while we all admired the stunning visual decorations painted by local children and adults which transmogrified a sports venue into a theatre. A special thankyou to all the visuals team who engaged our community to produce these banners - Joe Williams, Cecile Williams, Nikki Green, Teresa Thornell, Tony 'Anthony' Docherty, Tracey Margetts, Gabriele Gehlhaar and Robyn Lees. Thankyou.

The Recreation Centre buzzed and echoed in a way which a singer from the Kalgoorlie choir described as 'pure magic', followed quickly with 'is the Festival going to be an annual event... please?'.

With thanks, Peter Keelan.