By Anthony Barich
THE Fulton J Sheen Society raised about $6,000 gross by its annual concert at Trinity College on 25 May for overseas missions and the continuation of works inspired by the late prelate.
The concert, which has been hosted at Trinity College since 2000, has raised over $50,000 for missions in India, Kenya and China and for a Fulton J Sheen Scholarship established in 2006 at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd in Sydney. It has also funded a series of television spots on Channel 9 by Archbishop Barry Hickey.
Funds from the concert will also assist Linda’s House of Hope, which helps women escape prostitution and start new lives.
The funds will go towards the Branches Project established by Perth Catholic Joanna Lawson, who works with the Untouchables in India, a class of people on the fringes of Hindu society.
Funds will also assist Kikumini Catholic Mission in Kenya, following a request by Perth Vicar for Migrants and Guildford parish priest Fr Blasco Fonseca, who worked in Kenya for 30 years.
Headlining the concert this year was local Baritone and Trinity College graduate Daniel Mullaney, who was taught by Martin Tobin, who co-founded the Fulton J Sheen Society with his father Daniel in 1999.
Daniel, 20, has been a member of the St Mary’s Cathedral choir since he was 11 and now plays a prominent role as its Principal Cantor – a position he has held since he was 17.
Daniel, who has sung at previous An Hour For Sheen concerts, recently performed a series of concerts at the Cathedral to raise money to help pay off the remaining $2.4 million of the total of $32.9 million.
He is currently studying performance at the WA Academy of Performing Arts.
He was accompanied by Wembley Uniting Church organist and choir director John Meyer, who also performed solo performances of Chopin and Grieg.
Mr Meyer also accompanied Soprano Yann Kee, who returns after a successful performance last year. The Malaysian-Born Yann Kee, who majored in Vocal Performance at the University of WA, has won many awards at the North Perth Music Festival and competitions with the WA Music Teachers Association.
Yann Kee, who has also performed with the Australian Opera Studio in productions of The Marriage of Figaro, Tancredi and Die Fledermaus, teaches singing at Perth College and Corpus Christi College.
Also headlining the night was the renamed singing group Voyces, previously known as the St Joseph’s Chamber Choir which sprang out of the Subiaco parish.
Inspired by the musical direction of Trinity College Director of Music Dr Robert Braham, Voyces takes a musical and academic interest in modern choral repertoire, with current arrangements of Renaissance masters, vocal settings of Tango Nuevo and renditions of contemporary works.
South-African born Rhodes Scholar and former professional actor on screen, stage and radio in Australia, Roland Payver, was a last-minute call-up to replace poet June Glen who was unable to attend.
The concert climaxed with Daniel and Yann Kee performing a rendition of Francesco Sartori’s Time to Say Good Bye (Con te partirò), made famous in recent times by blind tenor Andrea Bocelli.