In 1999, a local newspaper ran
an interested cover story on ‘7 Little Australians’. In
Australia, this title is a warmly remembered novel, but in
this case it referred to a family that had just migrated
into Australia. Actually, there were eight, but the last
came along later.
These ‘8 Little Australians’
were born in New Zealand, and their parents came from the
Americas. Since their tenderest ages, Theresa and Raymond de
Souza had taught them to chirp national anthems, folksongs
and hymns in various languages. They had already performed
in public several times, such as Christmas concerts in their
local communities. Their initial lack of musical talent was
made up by their ‘cuteness’ and their childish originality.
With
their move to Australia, Raymond and Theresa realized that
their children had a great potential; their voices blended
together with a rare sense of warmth and confidence – when
they could get it together. What they needed was direction
and tutelage. And there was someone willing to give it.
Sister Paula Cream, God bless
her soul, of the Mercy Convent in Perth, Australia, tutored
them in tunes and technique for several years. With her,
they performed as a family twice.
Time
passed. They lost their initial cuteness, but gained a
greater sense of structure. After they performed in a
Pentecostal conference, an
article in ‘The Record’, Perth’s
Catholic weekly newspaper, exclaimed that ‘they sang in
every language except Chinese and Eskimo!’ It was almost
true. In their love for languages, Raymond and Theresa had
taught French nursery rhymes, Latin madrigals, English
folksongs and national anthems in their native tongues,
among many others.
During the Christmastide of
2002, they visited various Care Centers to sing for the
elderly. They were enjoyed so much that requests for future
encores were made. At the same time, they were cutting their
first CD. A parishioner had heard them singing in in a local
parish church after a Mass, and was so enchanted with the
flow and lilt of the voices that he determined to make an album.
A
year later,
Sensus Sacrorum
(or
Sense of the Sacred)
hit the media all over Australia. It was welcomed
into homes and churches. This album offered something almost
forgotten in our modern days: a sense of reverence for
sacred things.
In 2005, the family migrated to
France in a bid for Catholic education. There they were
accepted into two other choirs. As members, they performed
with great success in the Loire Valley and up as far as
Burgundy. After a Christmas Eve performance, they undertook
their final trip to America.
Over the next five years,
they continued to perform in public - such
as in concerts and mining-towns. In
2009, they cut their newest album,
"Passports", as a celebration of their
globe-trotting heritage, and an exploration
of the wonders found in cultural diversity.
To this day, they remain a
family Choir that blends in an extraordinary way; as
brothers and sisters, they provide a quality unique unto
themselves. It is this gift that these ‘Eight Little
Australians’ are happy to share with one and all.
