The Soul Food acapella pop choir turns 20 this year, and they are as busy as ever. This month, 40 members will head to New Zealand to compete against most than 240 other vocal ensembles in the 2024 World Choir Games. They are making the final tweaks to their tunes and sifting through wardrobes for the perfect costume.
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00:00Every week, this hall fills up with heavenly harmonies, but you won't find any church music
00:08in this choir's catalogue.
00:24It's the sophisticated sound of Soul Food, an acapella choir about to celebrate its 20th
00:30birthday.
00:31We try and balance both the idea of being a community, so connecting with one another,
00:35but we also want to pursue musical excellence, so kind of keep those two things in balance
00:40as best we can.
00:41We're so diverse.
00:42We have like age from 20 to 70, and we all come from different, you know, work and ethnic
00:48backgrounds.
00:49Everyone has a different taste, and we've all kind of brought a little bit of that to
00:52the choir.
00:53And in all kinds of ways, the choir gives back.
00:56I'm actually quite an introverted person, so I was really pushing myself to try something
01:02that would like kind of help me express myself and push me out of my shell.
01:07Right now, the group is fine-tuning eight of its most impressive pop numbers in preparation
01:13for this year's World Choir Games in New Zealand.
01:17Just getting ourselves to that standard where we're really happy with how we're singing,
01:21it's always a challenge, you know, constantly wanting to improve what we do.
01:25It's the first time the competition has come to the Southern Hemisphere, and the first
01:28time Soul Food is taking part.
01:31One, two, three.
01:32I came a-jump up to take up the billabong.
01:36Up took his swag bag and grabbed him with glee.
01:40He sang as he shrugged and jumped up in his slipper bag.
01:45You've got a waltzing Matilda with me.
01:49There is that part of me that wants to win.
01:51I think we've worked hard as a choir to get where we are.
01:55We love what we do, and I just hope that shines through.
01:59They're up against 250 other choirs from more than 40 countries.
02:04It's just a great chance to go and be with other singers and hear lots of great choirs.
02:08Soul Food fundraised for a costume budget.
02:11This is a fantastic suit, and the guys look amazing in it.
02:14Lynne and Natalie have been tasked with making it happen.
02:17The colour palette is bronze, powder blue, white and navy blues,
02:23and it represents the Australian landscape and the coast and the sky.
02:27The countdown is on.
02:29In less than a fortnight, these vocal virtuosos will be on stage in Auckland,
02:35singing their hearts out for the chance to be the world choir champions.
02:40And we will be cheering them on from across the ditch.
02:43NBC!