If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be singing on an international stage in Columbus, Ohio, I’d have laughed and asked whether you’d mistaken me for someone far more glamorous. Yet there I was – sequins, nerves, hairspray, and more make-up than a drag queen – standing alongside 60 incredible women who amaze and inspire at every turn, in my first ever competition. I could go on about the size of the theatre, how tiny the stage looked, flanked by giant TV screens, the buzz of singers, or the blinding lights… but the real magic wasn’t the spotlight, the scores, or even the applause – it was our chorus.

I’ve never met a group of women so committed to lifting each other up. Every day, through rehearsals and right up to our big moment, everywhere I turned, someone was: Encouraging, Praising. Fixing someone’s hair or costume. Whispering "You've got this!". Or just making us all laugh.

We had handwritten cards from our Director, full of encouragement, and beautiful notes from our leaders too. We stuffed little blue hearts in our bras – for the crew back home, and stuck tattoos in secret places that bound us together! We put smiley faces and hearts in our shoes – I basically had enough glittery stickers to fill a scrapbook by the time we were through.

Ohio gave me many things: jet lag, huge meal portions, an alarming understanding of how much Americans love Halloween, and a new appreciation for comfortable shoes…

…but the chorus gave me something far more lasting:

a sense of belonging, confidence I didn’t know I had, and a reminder – every time I see those little hearts in my shoes – of just how lucky I am.

Helena Holdaway, Redland Rhapsody Chorus.
Originally published in OzChords.