Based in the rural seaside town of Warrnambool, the Find Your Voice Collective (FYVC) is the largest accessible choir in the world, with most of its 250 members identifying with a disability. Formed in 2019, the choir never expected to become as successful as it has, having already performed alongside world-renown artists at the local folkie in Port Fairy and experiencing widespread recognition after their audition for “Australia’s Got Talent” went viral. But full of ambitions, they are still unsure how their music will reach the world stage it deserves.
Within the top-secret confines of FYVC headquarters, weekly music writing sessions have culminated into a growing collection of original material. Grace Kenny (also known as rapper GK), has had visions of fame since birth, a prolific songwriter she is elated she is beginning to lay down some tracks in the studio. She knows there is a long road ahead to stardom, but finally has a team behind her to help realise her potential as a legitimate artist. Other creatives in “the space” speak of changing the world. Whether it is Leonie’s folk favourite “Look at me and not my bloody chair”, or Bruce’s choir hit “Breaking Walls”, their music is provocative and unexpected. “We are here to be seen, not hidden away”, says FYV elder Bruce.
Whether through institutionalisation, societal stigma or the personal challenges that come with being human, artists of the choir want their music to be a vehicle for being seen and enacting change. Now, after five years of writing, recording and performing their own music, they’re ready for their most ambitious project to date… an original concert accompanied by Australia’s leading orchestra. The choir is ready to be heard, but is the world ready to really listen?
(Previously titled “Find Your Voice” or “Greatness Known”)
