Our Team

The Sydney Children's Choir is operated by Gondwana Choirs. We have a highly qualified and dedicated team of artistic and administrative staff.

 

 

Artistic Staff

Lyn Williams OAM, Artistic Director
CLICK HERE to learn more

Allison Harrigan, Choral Education Director, Conductor, SLEEK Tutor
Allison holds a Masters degree in Choral Conducting and Aural Training from the University of Queensland. She has lectured in both of these subjects at various Melbourne universities for the past seven years.  Allison has also conducted many quality tertiary, school and community choirs. Allison is in demand as a guest conductor for choirs and lecturer at choral conferences.  She has enjoyed roles as Head of Junior Music at Scotch College and Caulfield Grammar School.  She now prefers to focus on her special interest in vocal technique for young voices and Australian choral music.

Sally Whitwell, Conductor & Pianist
Pianist Sally Whitwell maintains a busy freelance career as performer, teacher and arranger in a variety of styles encompassing everything from classical music and new Australian commissions right through to showtunes and pop.

She has worked with many organizations including Gondwana Voices, Sydney Children's Choir, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Musica Viva, Cantillation, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir and Australian Pop Choirs. Sally has also been involved with various educational programs at Sydney Conservatorium Access Centre, NIDA, University of Western Sydney, Symphony Australia, Youth Music Australia, Australian Theatre for Young People, Australian National Braille Music Association and Bondi Wave (the alternative music course). She has performed with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and Sinfonia Australis. A trained dancer of some years experience, Sally has enjoyed working as dance accompanist for Opera Australia, Bangarra Dance Theatre, The Australian Ballet School, Royal New Zealand Ballet and Sydney Dance Company. Sally also performed as keyboardist and wandering on-stage accordionist in the 2003 Sydney Dance Company production of Graeme Murphy's dance musical Tivoli.

Sally has toured widely with various ensembles in the UK, Europe, the United States, Central America, Japan, New Zealand and throughout Australia. She has appeared on several recordings for ABC Classics both as an ensemble musician and as a soloist, notably on the "Classic 100 Piano" and "Felix and me", as well as recordings for broadcast on ABC Classic FM. Sally has enjoyed performing with world music band Sirocco as well as with various new music ensembles including Halcyon, "Ensemble Offspring and Aark.
With soprano Nadia Piave, she forms one half of art song/cabaret duo "une fois seule!". They have appeared recently in sellout shows for Musica Viva's concert series menage in the Arthouse Hotel and also as part of the concert series House Music presented by the Historic Houses Trust.

Amandine Petit, Conductor, Sight Singing Teacher & Vocal Coach
French-born Amandine Petit completed a Master’s degree in musicology at the Université Marc Bloch and studied singing at the Conservatoire of Strasbourg before moving to Australia in early 2007.  In France she has had several years of experience as a vocal coach, musicianship teacher and choral conductor. 

As a performer, She has been a regular member of the Chamber Choir of Strasbourg, touring with the group to Senegal, Germany and Switzerland.  Her specialization in both early and contemporary music led her to co-create the all-female vocal quartet Sotto Voce in 2003. In the same year she also represented France as the anthem singer for the Rugby World Cup.  Other performance highlights include Berlioz’s Les Troyens at Opera du Rhin, L’Amour de Loin by Saariaho in Lebanon and various film and television score recordings.  Since arriving in Sydney Amandine has sung with Sydney Chamber Choir and Eminence Symphony Orchestra.

Dan Walker, Conductor
Composer, arranger and performer Dan Walker is quickly building a reputation as one of Australia’s most promising young artists. He has had works commissioned and performed by such groups as the Sydney Symphony, Gondwana Voices, Queensland Youth Choir, The Murrumbidgee Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. 

In 2003 Dan was the Sydney Children’s Choir composer-in-residence and in that year also created new choral arrangements of the National Anthems for the Rugby World Cup. Recent work includes: The Arafura, written specifically for Gondwana Voices and premiered in Mexico City as part of the 2004 Songbridge festival; Hopes and Dreams, written as part of the Australian National Day celebrations at the 2005 World Expo in Nagoya, Japan; various orchestral and choral arrangements for ABC Classics and a new arrangement of Advance Australia Fair written for the official Darling Harbour 2005 Australia Day celebrations.

As a performer Dan is a regular member of both Sydney Chamber Choir and Cantillation.  He has also been a member of Baroque Opera Company Pinchgut for two years and is currently also a guest member of the Song Company. Dan Walker is currently taking part in an Assistant Conductor fellowship with the Sydney Children’s Choir and Gondwana Choirs, made possible with by support of the Australia Council for the Arts.

Elizabeth Choo, Vocal Coach
A graduate of Melbourne University, Elizabeth completed her Bachelor of Music in 1997 and was a teacher of singing and choral conductor at both Loreto Mandeville Hall Girls School and Mater Christi College in Melbourne prior to moving to Brisbane in 2003.

Whilst in Brisbane, Elizabeth completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Music Studies (Vocal Pedagogy) at Griffith University. She was appointed conductor of The Children's Chorus of Griffith University's Young Conservatorium Programme as well as vocal coach for Brisbane Birralee Voices. During this time Elizabeth continued vocal teaching at both Mt St Michael's College and Macgregor High School.

Since moving to Sydney in late 2004, Elizabeth has taken on singing students at Kambala Girls School and has been enjoying her association with Sydney Children's Choir where she has been taking vocal coaching classes

Laura Altman, Senior Sight Singing Tutor
Laura Altman is currently completing a Bachelor of Music (Composition) with Honours at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. As well as composing, she is involved as a clarinettist and vocalist in various original music projects based in Sydney and in the Netherlands, with a focus on free improvisation.

Joseph Twist, Senior Sight Singing Tutor
Joseph Twist's eclectic experience as a composer and a musician has involved choral and instrumental concert music, as well as jazz and film music.  He has recently completed PhD in music composition with an Australian Postgraduate Research Award and has also studied screen composition at the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney.  Joseph is the recipient of The Australian Voices Young Composer Award, the Gondwana Voices Young Composer Award and winner of the Chanticleer International Composition Competition.  Joe's music has been commissioned and performed by many esteemed vocal ensembles such as Chanticleer, The Song Company, The Australian Voices, Birralee Blokes, Gondwana Voices and the Sydney Children’s Choir.

 

Marcus Bortolotti, Music Craft Tutor
Marcus Bortolotti completed a Bachelor of Music (Perf) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, studying under Andrew Dalton. He has performed with Opera Australia since 2007, singing tenor in the chorus for productions of ‘Tannhäuser’, ‘Otello’, ‘Aïda’ and 'Fidelio' at the Sydney Opera House, as well as the Dame Joan Sutherland State Memorial Service and the 2011 Opera for Flood Relief Gala Concert. This year, he will join OA for Mozart's ‘Don Giovanni’ & ‘Lakmé’ by Delibes. Marcus has also performed as tenor soloist in Bernard Rands’ ‘Canti del Sole’ (Conservatorium Modern Music Ensemble), in the Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio with ChoralEssence, Mozart's ‘Solemn Vespers’ with the Taverner Consort, Opera by Candlelight at Canberra's Commonwealth Park, as well as singing in the Andrea Bocelli concert at Acer Arena in 2008. In 2008, Marcus received an Italian Government scholarship to study in Florence, Milan & Rome. Marcus is also the Musical Director and Choir Master for a number of choirs throughout Sydney, including the Chatswood Musical Society Choir, Sydney's first musical theatre choir, which he founded. With CMS, he conducted the successful 2010 season of ‘The Best of Broadway’. Upcoming performances include the tenor solo in Haydn’s ‘The Creation’, guest conducting for the University of Sydney Eclectic Singing Society & musically directing Chatswood Musical Society’s gala concert ‘A Night on the West End’. Marcus has also worked extensively as a piano accompanist and vocal coach for musical theatre and classical productions and concerts including ‘Magical Musical Moments with Disney’, Museaus’ tour to country NSW and keyboard in productions of ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. Marcus teaches at the McDonald Performing Arts College in North Strathfield and maintains a private studio of voice, piano and musicianship students.

 

Tristan Coelho, Music Craft Tutor
Tristan Coelho graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2006 receiving a Bachelor of Music in composition with first class honors and university medal. In 2005 he took part in the Cybec Melbourne Symphony Orchestra 21st Century Composers' Program which culminated in the premiere of his orchestral work, Glass Canvas. Tristan received both a full tuition scholarship (Leverhulme Trust) and a Sydney University travelling scholarship to attend the Royal College of Music from 2007-2008 where he was awarded a Masters degree with distinction. Recent premieres have included Interlude, performed in Oxford and Baltimore as part of a contemporary ballet project, Solace, at the National Portrait Gallery in London and Elastic Riffs, by the Chronology Arts Ensemble at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Tristan is currently freelancing with work involving concert music, film and orchestration and holds teaching positions at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Conservatorium High School and Sydney Children’s Choir.

Tom Johnson, Pianist SCC North Shore
Thomas is usually referred to as a pianist, but has often found himself dabbling in many different facets of music-making, including (but not limited to): vocal and choral pedagogy, chamber music, orchestral studies, language and diction coaching in four different languages, repetiteur and accompaniment work for both opera and ballet, singers and instrumentalists. However, none of this is quite as fun or rewarding as seeing so many fine young musicians hone their skills through their experiences with Gondwana's various programs, of which he has had the pleasure of being involved with since 2009.

 

 

Board of Directors

Lyn Williams OAM, Artistic Director
Rebecca Davies
Nicholas James
David Longmuir
David Lumb
Warren Lee

 

Administration Staff
Ph 02 8274 7000

Hywel W. Sims General Manager
hywel@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7007

Anita Burkart North Shore Operations Assistant (Mondays)
scc@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 0457 371 542

Jocelyn O’Brien Sydney Children’s Choir Manager
jocelyn@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7001

John Nolan Artistic Administrator
john@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7005

Merryn Hughes Gondwana National Choral School Manager
merryn@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 0409 999 301

Caroline McKnight Gondwana National Choral School Administration Assistant
carolinem@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7003

Erica Byrne Indigenous Children’s Choir Manager
erica@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7004

Corinne Schwartz Accounts Administrator (Mondays & Wednesdays) corinne@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7009

Clare Ainsworth Philanthropy Manager
clare@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7010

Kate Tomlinson Finance and Office Manager
kate@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Ph 02 8274 7008