1974 No image available
The Buderim Male Choir was formed in 1974 as the Buderim Male Singers and has continued operating since then. It’s generally recognised as the longest-serving community choir on the Sunshine Coast. Membership numbers grew from the low 20s in 1990 to the mid-30s by the end of that decade.
1999
Barbara Smith was Musical Director at the time of the Choir's 25th anniversary in 1999.
The choir incorporated under the Queensland Government’s Associations Incorporation Act in July 2003 as a not-for-profit community choir, Buderim Male Choir Inc. It held Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status from 2006 till 2023.
2007
The 2007 line-up was led by Ross Jelf as Musical Director with Greg Ross as Accompanist.
Numbers peaked at close to 50 around 2008 but settled around the mid-20s in the years leading up to Covid. Over all, several hundred Sunshine Coast men have sung with the choir since its inception - men from a broad cross-section of the Sunshine Coast community from all areas of the coast and hinterland, and from all age groups upwards of 18.
2011
The hills were well and truly alive in 2011 with Paul Coppens as Musical Director and Ryaed Owens as Accompanist.
2015
Assistant Music Director Terry Ebenezer kept the group on its toes at a rehearsal in 2015. Accompanist Courtney Anderson served as both Accompanist and Musical Director in the latter half of 2015.
2018
Musical Director Mitch Meyer lead the 2018 line-up at a concert at Esk with Carina Frank as Accompanist.
A consistent thread through the years is that members have included those with no previous choir experience, those with a lifetime of related experience both amateur and professional, and many in between. Circumstances change of course and adapting to changing circumstances has been a hallmark of the choir’s half-century history.
For many years, the choir maintained a close relationship with the Buderim Uniting Church which provided the venue for the choir’s weekly practices in the early years. The choir’s founding conductor and some of his successors were members of that church. With changing membership, a similar relationship was subsequently formed with St Mark’s Anglican Church in Buderim. In more recent years, the choir established a relationship with the Buderim Men’s Shed and moved from evening rehearsals to daytime rehearsals.
2024
The choir performed at Bunnings' Easter Fair in 2024 with Stuart Hill as Musical Director and Carina Frank as Accompanist.
The choir marked its 50th anniversary with a series of celebratory concerts in the latter half of 2024.
