These women form Murrumbidgee Magic, a group that has existed in Wagga since 1992, and recently won the small chorus section of the Sweet Adelines Australian competition in Hobart.

“If you really love something, you find the time to do it,” says musical director Judy Ferguson, who has juggled work, family and sporting commitments since becoming a member back in 1994.

She is has been leading the group for two years, after the retirement of founder Jill Harris, who initially called the group Wagga Harmony Chorus. 

The name may have changed to Murrumbidgee Magic, but the 37 current members have stayed true to the group’s roots, singing acapella, or barbershop style, without instrumental backing.

Ms Ferguson casts wide her love of music.

In addition to playing the piano, she has been teaching music and choir since her first day in education and is also director of the Wagga City Men’s Rugby Choir.

Ms Ferguson believes a love of music is within most people.

“I think a lot more people are getting enjoyment out of singing. It doesn’t matter what the song is, and it doesn’t matter what the style is, people just like to sing,” she said.

“There really is a push for community choirs. I was talking to somebody who is going to Orange where a pub choir has developed, where you just turn up one night a week and you sing in the pub. They give you some music and away you go. It’s great.”

Ms Ferguson joined the group at the invitation of Ms Harris, but other members have all found they way into it in different ways.

Emily Farquhar juggles work and a young family along with her commitment to Murrumbidgee Magic.

She decided to join after seeing the group perform eight years ago at a community choir event that her dad had travelled from Albury to attend.

“I sang at school, just for a little bit, but I’ve never been a very good singer. I sing in the car and the shower, but I had never been very good until I joined these guys,” Ms Farquhar said.

“You just have so many educational opportunities and they do so much teaching that my singing has really improved.”

Janet Moriarty plays three different instruments and sang at school, but it was not until two years ago that she joined Murrumbidgee Magic.

“A friend of mine was doing aquafit with some members and they tried to recruit her, and she said ‘oh no, I can’t sing a note, but my friend Janet can’, and so she rang me and told me about this new members drive for Murrumbidgee Magic,” Ms Moriarty said.

Julie Webber has been with Murrumbidgee Magic for more than a decade.

“I owned a ballet studio and Jill Harris was looking for a rehearsal space, so she rang me and asked would I allow them to rehearse in my studio and I said that was fine, and she said ‘oh, by the way, do you sing’ and I said ‘oh well, I like singing’ and asked if I wanted to come to the group,” Ms Webber said.

“I didn’t really know anything about the group. I turned up and really enjoyed it, and it as around that time I was looking to close the studio and move on into doing something else, and so singing took my fancy, so I put all my energy into that.”

Being a part of Murrumbidgee Magic requires a commitment beyond wanting to catch up once a week for a sing-a-long.

Currently, members rehearse as a whole every Wednesday, but the different sections will also schedule extra sessions. Individual members also work on their performances at home.

“The goal is to do it between rehearsals, because the aim is to get better with each one. If you don't do anything between rehearsals, then you’re back to square one,” Ms Webber said.

To make sure group members are happy with their performances, they regularly record rehearsals.

These “riser recordings” are done for the group as a whole, but many also use their smartphones to record their own voice for an individual critique.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into getting that three minutes of song right. We obviously want our four voice parts to blend together,” Ms Farquhar said.

​”It comes out in the riser recordings if you haven’t done anything between rehearsals,” Ms Ferguson said.

“Most of us tend to record on our phones and we hit record and away we go. At home, my neighbours get an earful when I’m putting the washing on the line,” Ms Moriarty said.

Along with dedication to improvement comes the careful selection of performance pieces.

“We took a very new song to competition this year. We got it at the end of last year and didn’t sing it in public until two weeks ago,” Ms Ferguson said.

It can take between four weeks and a few months to really learn a new piece, Ms Farquhar said.

But, as Ms Moriarty said she has found, there is more to learn that just the singing.

Group members need to perfect their “performance package”, which begins the moment they walk on to the stage.

Members currently rehearse at the Riverina Conservatorium of Music, but in the lead up to a competition they take their performances elsewhere so they can experience the acoustics of a variety of venues.

“When you go to competition, the stage is very different, the acoustics are very different. Sometimes it sounds as thought you are singing in a vacuum because you can’t hear anyone around you.” Ms Webber said.

“We go to various venues, so that you get the different sound: outside at Wagga Public School or at the Uniting Church.

“Every time we go to a different venue it reinforces that you have to be responsible for your own sound, not just to sing to the room, sing to what is familiar, so when we get on the competition stage, it’s not such a shock.”

While the group was thrilled to win gold at the Sweet Adelines competition, Ms Ferguson said it is not all-important.

“Coming home with a medal is an absolute bonus and it’s just the icing on the cake, but we come back and look at how we were judged in four different categories and ask how we can make it better,” she said.

​”It’s not just about a group of females getting together and singing barbershop. It’s more than that. It’s ‘OK, we met this benchmark’ and we’re always looking to try and improves ourselves.”

Anyone who is interested in the group can call Ms Ferguson on 0412 308 637.

A flashback to a 2012 performance by Murrumbidgee Magic.