Information current as at FEBRUARY 2022

Choir's Email Address: rocs@rmit.edu.au

Choir's Website: rmitlink.rmit.edu.au/clubs/rocs

Vision statement / Artistic goals: The object of RMIT Occasional Choral Society is the study and production of musical works, and the promotion of choral music in an informal setting at RMIT

Voice type: SATB

Choir performs: Both unaccompanied & accompanied

Year Choir formed: 1999

No. of Singing Members - Currently: 20 Desired: 30

Musical Repertoire: Very varied - from Baroque to Pop, from Choral Classics to Works by New and Upcoming Composers

Musical Director: Sandra Uitdenbogerd

No. of years in current post: since 2013

Previous musical experience: Sandra founded ROCS in 1999, for which she has conducted, accompanied, sung solos, composed choral works (including 'Aftermath', 'The Analytical Engine' and 'Fragments'), and is currently its Music Director

Choir's past collaborations with other musical groups: ROCS regularly collaborates with other RMIT Music groups such as the stage band; it has held major concerts with sister choirs, MUCS, MonUCS and LaTUCS; other past performances have been with Box Hill Chorale and the EMS orchestra

Audition: No

Minimum Attendance policy - Rehearsals: No Concerts: No

Membership Fees: General Membership $40, RMIT Students $20, Consession Holders $20, RMIT Freshers $10

Ability to read music: Desirable

Sight-reading ability: Desirable

Av. No. of rehearsals/week: 1

Usual rehearsal night(s): Thursday

Suburb: Melbourne CBD

Rehearsal venue: The Garden Building, Building 10 Level 6 Room 89, RMIT University City Campus

Off-street parking: No

Performance Apparel: Black attire with a splash of red as an accent colour

Av. No. of Concert Programs/year: 2

Av. No. of Performances/year: 4

Sample of the Choir's past Concert Venues: Local churches, Kaleide Theatre (RMIT), Storey Hall (RMIT), The Capital (RMIT), Chapel of the Old Melbourne Gaol (RMIT Building 11)

Examples of musical pieces performed: ROCS preforms a wide range of music across multiple genres that vary from Semester to Semester; 2019 concerts were "Tounge Tied", a concert containing music in 23 languages ranging from Cantonese Pop Music to German Heavy Metal, Gaelic Rock to Klingon Drinking Songs, and Latin Mass to Elvish Sonnets all preformed in a choral style, and "Internet Through The Ages" which consisted of original works about Emojis and the History of the Internet, Uitdenbogerd's Missa LOLcat, a Bach choral version of Smash Mouth's All Star, and an a capella arrangement of Bad Lip Reading's Seagulls (Stop It Now); historically, the repertoire of ROCS has included the performance of new works by young local composers, including Missa Prima (Uitdenbogerd), Alleluia (Winikoff), Mass for 4 Voices (William Byrd), and a specially-written piece by Uitdenbogerd performed as part of RMIT Union Arts' "Plummet", a part of the 2000 Melbourne Fringe Festival

Touring: No

Administration / Governance arrangements for the Choir: Elected Committee of approx. 6 members runs all aspects; ad hoc sub-committees may be formed for particular purposes; operates as a collective under the RMIT Creative Collective umbrella

Types of Committees: see above

Own collection of music scores: Limited

Available for hire to other groups: No