A surprise trip "North"!

24 years ago I set out on an adventure with four friends that would turn into (for me) 15 wonderful, challenging, remarkable, creative, complex, demanding and ultimately rewarding years of making music and experiencing life with The Idea of North.

For those not in the a cappella know, The Idea of North is a surprising success story.  In a country that worships the gods of sport, carving out any kind of career in music can be a wee bit challenging!  Never mind a career in jazz music.  And a cappella? Forget about it!  And yet The Idea of North has managed to find it's tribe and connect with an audience, as eclectic as it is loyal, to sustain it's 24 (and counting) years of writing, arranging, touring and recording both here and overseas.  There have been numerous awards, lots of accolades and, as one would expect with that kind of lifespan, lots of changes!

My 15 year stint as founding soprano came to end when I hit parenthood and decided I didn't want to miss it by being on the road.  But the ongoing affection for my colleagues and my sense of investment in this magical 'thing'  that I had been part of creating, meant that I never really, fully said goodbye! So when I got the call to say that Andrew Piper (co-founder and bass) and Sally Cameron (my wonderful replacement) were both retiring, and "would I return to the soprano chair whilst they chose a new one"?  it didn't take me long to pack a suitcase and kiss my (now older) children goodbye!  

And so began a wonderful 6 months of revisiting the music and madness that had played such a defining role in my musical and personal life.  A season of celebrating the 'old' and welcoming 'the new'.  What a treat!  

 Huge love to Nick, Nay and Andy   xo        An absolute pleasure Kai and Luke xo         All the best Sally and Emma xo            And cheers to the next chapter of TION!   

Check them out here:  www.idea.com.au