The Kiama Illawarra Pride Choir is in high demand to perform at events.

Fresh from its resounding success at the recent prestigious Blackheath Choir Festival in the Blue Mountains, KIPC has launched a fundraising campaign to continue its travels beyond the Illawarra and share its rainbow joy.

“We love to meet up with other choirs, to share and grow from that experience,” says Jonnell Uptin, KIPC’s assistant music director.

“There are so many choir festivals we can be part of – there’s the annual Festival of Voices in Tasmanian, and the international Out & Loud LGBTQ+ choral music celebration in Perth next year.

“But we need money for that. We have choir members who work three jobs to keep their head above water – that’s the reality of the Australian economy at the moment.

“So the more we can raise, the less pressure we put on our members to say, ‘We want to sing in the Blue Mountains and you need to get there.’ With petrol, transport, accommodation, it’s a big ask.

“Not all our members could join us in Blackheath, though we were 16 strong – that was wonderful.”

A not-for-profit group, KIPC began in April 2021, seeded with a $2500 grant from Kiama Municipal Council. “We don’t have any grant money from council at present,” Jonnell explains.

“We would love to put a concert on in Kiama, but there’s no venues – the Kazador Festival isn’t on this year, and we can’t use Fillmore’s because it can’t have any live music.

“Yet council is very aware that it needs to create queer spaces for people – diversity is vital in regional towns.

"I think the choir is an incredibly important part of the Kiama community because there are a lot of LGBTQ+ people and allies here who want to celebrate who we are, who they are.

“It’s a long-term goal to run singing workshops for young people. We’d love to go down the South Coast and create belonging for other LGBTQ+ people. There’s so much we could do.”

The choir is invited to sing at many colourful occasions, some of them paid performances, including the opening of Wollongong’s 2025 Pride Arts Festival, Shellharbour City Council’s Carols by Candlelight, Jamberoo Public School’s upcoming Christmas festivities, and Christmas carols at Bunnings Shellharbour.

Part of its regular fundraising efforts include Bunnings sausage sizzle stalls – there’s one on October 25.

Choir members attend weekly rehearsals (see below) and booked gigs on a voluntary basis, depending on their availability.

One recent private event saw just 11 members sing their hearts out for a party crowd.

They’re an eclectic bunch of about 20, among them a Uniting Church minister, a UOW professor, a midwife nurse practitioner, and an Order of Australia (AM) honouree.

The musical director is Tia Wilson, best known as half of the popular comedy music act Rheinberger & Wilson.

Jonnell has been singing with KIPC for three years and steps in when Tia is absent.

She is a teacher education lecturer at Sydney University, a former high school music and drama teacher, and a proud mum and grandmother.

As a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Jonnell has found a warm and accepting place at KIPC.

“The moment I walked into the Pride Choir, I relaxed. I could say, ‘My partner’s Jen’, and I was allowed to love her. I was allowed to just be normal. I do this for my fulfilment, to bring meaning into my life,” she said.

“Ours is not a voice of anger. It’s not a voice of advocacy or politics. It’s a voice of expression, of hope, of kindness, of thoughtfulness, of joy. And belonging.

“We underestimate the power to belong to other human beings and the power to belong to something bigger than ourselves.”

KIPC has charity status for its community work and is currently taking part in GiveOUT, a Rainbow Giving Australia fundraiser.

The donation site is open now and, on October 16 – GiveOUT Day – donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the Pride Foundation (conditions apply).

Donations are welcomed here.

To learn more about Jonnell and KIPC, catch her on Kiama Community Radio’s Chat Tuesday with Bernie Hems on October 14 at 10am.

The choir accepts new members at rehearsals: Mondays, 7-8.30pm, Kiama Uniting Church (1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays), and the Phoenix Theatre Community Hall in Coniston (2nd and 4th Mondays).