Chantefique in Tasmania, 2025

In July 2025, the Alliance Francaise member's choir Chantefique travelled to Tasmania to participate in the Festival of Voices. Below, Chantefique member Nicole Atkinson tells us about their trip full of the shared joy of music, great food and new connections.

Chantefique Choir at the Festival of Voices

Chantefique's first performance at the Grand Chancellor Hotel.

A Journey to Tasmania

Chantefique has once again taken to the road, this time travelling to Tasmania to participate in the renowned Festival of Voices. This annual event gathers choirs and singers from across Australia and around the world, offering opportunities to workshop and perform in both formal and informal settings throughout Hobart and the wider state. Celebrating its twentieth year, the festival welcomed Chantefique as its first French choir.

A Week of Music and Discovery

During their stay in Hobart, 28 members of Chantefique, along with family and friends, immersed themselves in a week filled with singing, workshops, and sightseeing. The itinerary included a tour of local wineries, and the group enjoyed numerous delicious meals, sampling the best of Tasmania's culinary offerings. The weather was fresh but not windy and not too much rain!

Memorable Performances and Venues

Chantefique sang in informal spaces like the foyer of the Grand Chancellor hotel, the Singer’s lounge, the Museum and Art Gallery (great acoustics). The splendid Hobart Town Hall was a more formal concert venue for our “Global Voices” program, where we joined a local Chinese Women’s choir and a Ukrainian choir. We were pleased to have members of the Alliance Française de Hobart come to listen and sing along.

Chantefique's conductor, Narelle, and piano accompanist,
Joy, share a happy moment in Richmond, Tasmania.

Five of our choristers took to the stage at Hobart City Hall, joining a massed choir for a performance of Verdi’s spectacular Requiem. The City Hall also hosted members who remained for the festival's finale concert. Throughout their visit, the choir experienced inspiring performances from other choirs and singers across venues such as the Singer’s Lounge, Theatre Royale, Government House, St David’s Cathedral, and the Salamanca Markets.

The itinerary included a tour of local wineries, and the group enjoyed numerous delicious meals, sampling the best of Tasmania's culinary offerings. The weather was fresh but not windy and not too much rain! Energised by their Tasmanian experience, Chantefique has returned home, eager to continue sharing their passion for French culture and language through music and song.