Marina Prior

The Christmas caroller

For Australia’s favourite soprano, the spirit of Christmas has always been infused with music. “Christmas is my favourite thing in the whole world,” says Marina Prior. “It sounds corny, but it really is, and I love the music of Christmas.”

It’s a love that has extended from the Christmas busking of her university days to her now regular star spot at Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne. “My kids come to Carols by Candlelight every year – it’s become a family tradition. My eldest is 20, my youngest is 12 and none of them would miss it for the world.”

On Christmas night, Marina has instituted another musical tradition.

“We invite family and friends – a lot of them musicians and singers – over to our place and we have a big musicale night. Everybody sings, whether they can sing or not, and the kids perform a number. We also have a heap of percussion instruments that anybody can play, so even the non-musicians get involved. There’s no feeling left out. It’s beautiful – like an old-fashioned singalong.”

The musicale came about because, in recent years, Marina and her husband, Grant Piro, have both lost parents and to soften that sense of loss at Christmas time, they decided to “create some new family traditions”.

This one has been a hit. Sometimes, Marina says, she notices the neighbours sitting on their balconies, listening in. “One year,” she says, laughing, “it was so hot that we transferred the singalong to the front lawn. We drew quite a crowd.”

“Anybody can play. There’s no feeling left out. It’s beautiful.”