Gondwana Voices
| Gondwana Choirs | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney |
| Genres | classical and contemporary choral art music for young people |
| Years active | August 1989–present |
| Associated acts | Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir |
| Website | www |
Gondwana Choirs is a unique leader in Australian choral performance, shaping the Australian sound through the creation and presentation of innovative new work and providing opportunities to all talented young Australians through world-class training by leading artists.
Gondwana Choirs comprises the most accomplished choral groups of young people in Australia. The organisation is now synonymous with performance excellence and has a well-deserved reputation for the highest standards of young people’s choral music in Australia and internationally. When Lyn Williams OAM created the Sydney Children’s Choir in 1989, she wanted audiences to experience the unique and captivating sound of a well-trained children’s choir. Since then, the organisation has grown to include Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana National Choirs and Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir, captivating audiences across Australia and the world.
The ensembles of Gondwana Choirs are known internationally for their purity of sound, engaging performance style, a courageous confidence and culture of risk. They undertake creative projects that have vastly impacted the artform and shaped the sound of Australian choral music. The lifeblood of their unique repertoire is a vast body of new work which has defined the Australian choral sound. The organisation has commissioned and premiered over 150 works by leading Australian composers, including Ross Edwards, Stephen Leek, Elena Kats-Chernin and Paul Stanhope, and presents predominantly Australian repertoire when touring nationally and internationally.
Gondwana Choirs has been involved in many noteworthy collaborations and performances with leading orchestras (Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, BBC Symphony, YouTube Symphony, Israel Philharmonic and Australian World Orchestras), ensembles (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Synergy, Taikoz, Sirocco, Suara Indonesian Dance, the Soweto Gospel Choir and Martenistsa Choir) and artists (including Felix Riebl, Gurrumul, William Barton, Seaman Dan, Kev Carmody, Katie Noonan, Jessica Mauboy, Shaun Tan, Michael Leunig and Jeannie Baker.)
Singers from all three arms of the organisation, Sydney Children’s Choir, Gondwana National Choirs and Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir, have come together on several occasions, most notably in 2014 with Sydney Symphony Orchestra for the world premiere performances of Jandamarra: Sing for the Country by Paul Stanhope.
Gondwana Choirs has received many awards and recognition of their work, including the 2015 APRA/AMCOS award for Excellence by an Organisation for its artistic program in our 25th year, and significant contribution to Australian music since 1989. Lyn Williams OAM was named in the 100 Women of Influence in 2015, and is engaged nationally and internationally for her expertise in choral training.
Alumni of Gondwana Choirs are employed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia and Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and regularly appear at Pinchgut Opera, Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Festival and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. They contribute to Australia’s cultural life as composers, conductors, music teachers, pop artists, arts managers, board members of Australian arts organisations and Gondwana Choirs staff. They are medical professionals, business leaders and social justice advocates, and their lifelong love of music fostered by Gondwana Choirs draws them to become the next generation of arts philanthropists and audiences.
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