A Fist Full of Wits
Experimental vocal ensemble (TAS)
A Fist Full of Wits is a new and experimental vocal ensemble bringing an unfamiliar approach to the presentation of contemporary choral music to Hobart audiences.
Led by Creative Director June Tyzack, A Fist Full of Wits activates its audience through innovative manipulation of the five outer senses [sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing] whilst drawing on the five inner wits of Common Sense, Imagination, Fantasy, Instinct, and Memory. The theatricality of this ensemble is derived from the texts and the emotions illuminated by the composers. Sometimes challenging for singers and audiences alike, the aim is to elevate the participation of the audience with real-time meaningful communication by the singers.
Their repertoire is a mix of contemporary a cappella works, with unexpected arrangements of revered classics adding a nod to the past. They aim to express both the wondrous and woeful aspects of the human condition, with humour an important ingredient!
A Fist Full of Wits was launched at the end of 2025 and with its first public Happening in May this year. Each Happening, of only 30 minutes duration, is like an ‘amuse-bouche’ – a tiny mouthful of the unexpected and surprising.
As the group develops, each performance venue will be synonymous with the message, and the audiences’ placement will be determined by the message to be conveyed. For the Launch, the audience was mobile, and the singers sang amongst them; for the Happening in May, the audience was seated at tables and the singers wove in and around them; for this Festival of Voices performance in the Town Hall, the setting is a prompt to be more traditional.
June Tyzack was engaged by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as Chorus Master 2001 – 2023, Surtitle Designer 2016 – 2023 and Creative Director, ‘Obscura’ series at the Odeon 2022 – 2024.
A Fist Full of Wits singers are gritty and determined, and hail from other local choral groups.
Image credit: Brad Harris
