The Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association is an organisation which represents many Australian University choirs and co-ordinates an annual intervarsity festival for these choirs.

The constitutional goal of AICSA is:

To ... encourage and further the performance of, and interest in, choral music by Australian tertiary students, through an interchange of ideas and music, and through the discussion of mutual problems.

A rather less formal goal of AICSA, once quoted at an AICSA dinner, was more along the lines of:

To encourage and further the performance of, and interest in, social activities by Australian tertiary students, through drinking and gossip, and through the interchange of saliva and other body fluids. Oh yes, and to do a bit of singing.

It is arguable that both goals are equally true.

The Choirs

AICSA Choirs are university choirs, with admission generally without audition, and with the goal to offer the opportunity to sing in high-quality performances without the rigours of being a trained musician a prime focus.

There is at least one AICSA choir in most Australian capital cities - see the AICSA site for links to these choirs' homepages.

Choirs are run by committees, in which you will undoubtedly find Committee Hacks.

The Festivals

Every year since 1949, an Intervarsity Choral Festival (IVCF) has been held in one of the major Australian cities, combining the forces of at least two choirs.

At the IVCFs the choristers for all choirs combine to form a large single choir and produce one or two major choral concerts, often performing with local State Orchestras and internationally acclaimed conductors/chorus masters.

In line with the less formal goal of AICSA stated earlier, the other focus of the IVCFs is social - with many life-long friendships being forged and fine times to be had by all.

The People

AICSA Choristers come from all walks of life, and though there is a core of current university students there is a significant number of people who stay with the movement for many years (sometimes decades).

The technical ability of the choristers also varies widely, with the more confident singers/performers able to offer support and guidance to newer/less experiences members of the community.

The Music

AICSA choirs perform a wide range of (mostly) classical repertoire - new and old compositions, from the likes of Mozart and Handel through to Orff, Bernstein and Vines.

Where to find information

• Current information about AICSA and AICSA's activities can be found at the AICSA Homepage.