If you grew up in rural Australia during the 1970s and 1980s you might remember the ABC Sing program that was broadcast into primary schools. Pop song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”, written by two British hit songwriters in 1971, made a regular appearance in the program.
Some fifty years later, it is the song that first comes to mind whenever I am lucky enough to cross paths with the infectious energy of Astrid Jorgensen OAM and Pub Choir whether at a live event, on the Couch Choir during Covid-19, or wandering along the rabbit warren of the many fabulous YouTube videos featuring thousands and thousands of people singing their hearts out at a Pub Choir event.
From the first Pub Choir singalong at The Bearded Lady in West End in March 2017 where 80 people sang Dave Dobbyn’s “Slice of Heaven” to this year’s sell out tour across Australia, Europe and the USA, capped off with an OAM for her service to the community as a musical director, Astrid and Pub Choir really are teaching the world to sing.
Based on the principle that everybody can sing and it is good for you, Pub Choir just needs you to show up and follow the easy instructions and, by the end of show, you will be part of an amazing experience belting out a popular song in three part harmony!
Billed as a show that is equal parts music, comedy and beer, Pub Choir transforms a crowd of strangers into a legendary choir singing iconic songs, including Aussie favourites “Leaps and Bounds” (Paul Kelly), “Throw Your Arms Around Me” (Hunters & Collectors), “Torn” (Natalie Imbruglia), “To Love Somebody” (BeeGees), “Truly, Madly, Deeply” (Savage Garden), “Buses and Trains” (Bachelor Girl), and “Cigarettes Will Kill You” (Ben Lee).
In very exciting news, as part of the firm’s 130th celebrations, next month Astrid will launch the inaugural Thynne + Macartney Pub Choir leading clients, partners, lawyers and #GreatQueenslanders in their very own rendition of an iconic Queensland anthem voted on by guests and announced on the night.
We can’t wait!
Find out more about Pub Choir here.
Buy tickets to Pub Choir’s Thallon Queensland Show – 29 October 2023 here.
Buy tickets to Pub Choir’s Christmas Fundraising Extravaganza (Brisbane) – 14 December 2023 here.
Visit the Pub Choir YouTube Channel here.
“Every time I travel, I feel so happy to return to Queensland at the end. The weather is great, the traffic is limited, the coffee is delicious, the people are friendly. It’s my home!”
“In the same way the streets are nice and wide to drive down, there feels like there is room for everybody’s business venture in Queensland. We’re not over-saturated with repeat ideas, if you are passionate about something, you can carve out a little corner for yourself and make it happen and be heard.”
“I want Queenslanders to see the long, unbroken connection of First Nations people to this land as something to be proud of, not something to argue about. That we live and work somewhere that has 60,000 plus years of cultural history is AMAZING. It’s a privilege.”
“I hope Queensland will be seen as a cultural powerhouse in Australia. The Arts have been viewed as a very Sydney or Melbourne-centric industry. So many friends of mine leave Brisbane so they can make a career for themselves in the Arts. I want Queensland to foster the success of artists so much that artists from other states want to move here for opportunities!”
“My place. Nowhere gives me such a sense of peace as sitting in my own garden in Kelvin Grove. I feel so lucky to have somewhere so beautiful to call home.”
“I went to school with Clare Polkinghorne – who has played more than 150 matches for The Matildas, as well as the Brisbane Roar. She’s the most capped Australian player across both the men’s and women’s teams. She is humble, hard working, smart as a whip, and super kind. I watch on with awe as she navigates things like captaining an Australian side internationally, while graduating from uni, and never boasting about it. She deserves a lot more kudos.”
Note – Astrid’s response was recorded pre-FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 – as so many more people now know, Clare and the entire Matildas team are superstars (and great, great people)!
Led by Astrid Jorgensen OAM, Pub Choir is a global phenomenon bringing people across the world together to simply sing.
Started in 2017, Astrid and Pub Choir launched Couch Choir during the Covid-19 pandemic and in 2023 have been back on tour bringing their sell-out show to cities and towns across Australia, England and the US.
Everybody can sing – if you have not yet experienced Pub Choir, visit the Pub Choir page below and sign up to find out when they are next visiting a location near you.
Find out more about Pub Choir here.
Buy tickets to Pub Choir’s Thallon Queensland Show – 29 October 2023 here.
Buy tickets to Pub Choir’s Christmas Fundraising Extravaganza (Brisbane) – 14 December 2023 here.
Visit the Pub Choir YouTube Channel here.
Established in 1893, Thynne + Macartney has helped people and businesses to build and grow within Queensland and across Australia, as well as navigate the challenges and issues that sometimes arise. Our firm’s history is intertwined with the development of the State, but we haven’t shouted it from the rooftops. It is just not our style.
However, it is not every day that you get to celebrate 130 years of continuous operation and we thought that was something to shout about, but what to say?
Then we realised there must be other people, businesses and charities out there who get on with what they have to do to make Queensland the great state it is – other Great Queenslanders.
