Esk Community Choir wins Arts and Culture Award
Published on 26 January 2026
Esk Community Choir received the Arts and Culture Award, pictured with Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt and the choir’s Music Director Alexis Fitzgerald.
FOR ALMOST 50 years the Esk Community Choir has provided the Somerset region with top quality entertainment and empowered older members of the community to rekindle their passion for music.
Recognising their contribution to the region, Somerset Regional Council granted Esk Community Choir with the 2026 Somerset Arts and Culture Award at the Australia Day Awards Ceremony on Monday, 26 January at the Somerset Civic Centre in Esk.
Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt said Esk Community Choir’s 2025 concert series brought together talented artists from across South East Queensland to deliver incredible performances at the Somerset Civic Centre.
“The 2025 series started with a concert attended by an examiner from Tasmania, who was so impressed by the choir they awarded a pass with distinction,” Cr Wendt said.
“In their Divas and Delights Encore, the choir performed music from Strauss and Camelot, welcoming a dance troupe, piano duet and various solos to the stage.
“Finally, the Christmas concert brought together a brass ensemble from Brisbane, a string ensemble from the Sunshine Coast, a combined schools band, Glen Rock Ukes, Somerset Tappers, Blackbutt Singers and a recorder ensemble.”
Cr Wendt said the choir had also shared its music throughout the region at various community events.
“The choir performed at a fundraising event at St Mel’s Church in Esk, at the Anzac Day Ceremony and various funerals,” Cr Wendt said.
“They also visited our most vulnerable and lifted spirts at Esk Hospital, Toogoolawah Alkira, and at Regis Camp Hill in Brisbane.
“They contribute so much to the artistic and cultural fabric of the Somerset community, but more than that they have created a welcoming environment for older people to make friends and express themselves musically.”
The Esk Community Choir was founded in 1978 to give the ladies of the district an opportunity to sing and perform.
“Under the guidance of the very talented Alexis Fitzgerald, the choir has been going strong for nearly 50 years and welcomes newcomers with a friendly smile,” Cr Wendt said.
“Esk Community Choir is a Somerset treasure and an incredibly worthy recipient for the 2025 Somerset Arts and Culture Award.”
Lisa Davis was also nominated for the 2026 Somerset Arts and Culture Award.