This is the first of what will be a regular account of the life of The Idea of North. To bring you up to speed this year has been a very full and exciting one for us all at our Sydney headquarters. Since Naomi, our vibrant new alto, joined the group in February we have been full steam ahead with gigs, tours, and preparing for our new album to be released early next year. Three months into the new line up, The Idea of North took off to the USA in April for performances in New York, Florida and the West Coast. We had great audiences wherever we went with the highlight being a performance at The Lincoln Centre in New York to 1200 people with 2 standing ovations. In our role as the host group for the ICCA finals (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella), we introduced all the competitors and then performed a half hour program for the audience while the judges deliberated.

This year has also seen the first of the next generation from The Idea of North. Nick and his gorgeous wife Nina have had a beautiful bouncing baby boy, Ari. As you can imagine we are all proud "Aunts" and "Uncles" and enjoying his company very much. He attended his first rehearsal this month, and will be accompanying us for some of our tour in October. He can definitely "sing" louder and higher than his father, especially when he's waiting for the "milk bar" to open… Nick is designing some strap on milk dispensers to wear while Nina's away. Very fetching! October will see us embark on our national tour for this year with performances in Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. It's going to be one busy time! We'll have a few tour stories to relay in our next journal no doubt, so stay tuned for the latest.