The Australian Voices

The Australian Voices are a national choir of Australian singers directed by Gordon Hamilton and produced by Scott Griffin.

The choir was founded in 1993 by Graeme Morton and Stephen Leek. It primarily consists of young adult singers with an interest in the promotion of Australian choral composition; both existing and new works.^[1] The Australian Voices has performed and promoted new Australian music throughout Australia, Europe, the United States, Central America, Canada and Asia.^[2][3][4][5] They have performed for Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio live concerts, appeared at major concerts for festivals and events, and produced nine CDs and two kits on creative choral singing.

Stephen Leek was artistic director and conductor of the group from 1996 to 2009. Graeme Morton was artistic director and conductor from 1993 to 1996.

In 2011, The Australian Voices produced The Facebook Song ^[6] a YouTube video of a piece composed by Gordon Hamilton which takes a series of Facebook status updates and connects them in song.

In 2012, The Australian Voices produced Tra$h Ma$h, a YouTube video that takes over 30 pop songs and mashes them together in the style of Michael Tippett.

In 2012, The Australian Voices presented their choral-theatre show, MOON, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The Australian Voices have received numerous accolades, including:

• the Australian Music Centre award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area (2008);
• multiple gold medals at the World Choir Games in Xiamen, China (2006);
• first prize in the Youth Choir Category, First Prize in the Chamber Choir Category and finalists in the Choir of the World Competition at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales (2001);
• 'Best Performance' and other major prizes at the Béla Bartók International Choral Competition in Hungary (1998);
• an invitation to perform as the official Australian Choir at the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music, held in Sydney (1996);
• the Sunnie Award for Best Classical Recording, for the CD "Great Southern Spirits" (1994).^[7]

The Australian Voices have released nine CDs:

• Great Southern Spirits
• The Listening Land
• Sing My Soul
• A Millennium of Choral Composition
• Ngana
• Voices Live
• Sea Children
• Between Two Horizons
• Summer Star

References

1. "Staff". The Australian Voices. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
3. "Australian Voices to perform at Fresno State". Fresno State News. 22 January 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
4. "The Australian Voices". Australian Music Centre. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
5. Archived 15 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
6. "Toy Story 3 = Awesome! (The Facebook Song)". YouTube. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
7. "About". The Australian Voices. Retrieved 2011-12-27.

• "Moon über Hellwege". kreiszeitung.de (in German). 20 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
• "Australian Voices ertönen in Hellwege". Rotenburger Rundschau (in German). 11 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.