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
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Allison Harrigan, Choral Education Director

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.

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

Jared Furtado Conductor
Perth-born Jared holds a Bachelor of Education and a Certificate in Music Theatre from Edith Cowan University. From 2003 – 2007, he co-ordinated the Junior School Music Program at Perth College and has also taught singing for the Western Australian Department of Education. In 2008, Jared managed the Gondwana National Indigenous Children’s Choir for World Youth Day and Voices of Angels. He has since worked with the choir for the Qantas advertising campaign, The Dreaming Festival, The Bledisloe Cup and the AFL Grand Final.Jared's performance experience includes: Hair and Rent (both for Eventainment) and Jerry Springer the Opera for Sydney Opera House Presents. An inaugural chorister of Gondwana Voices, Jared is super excited to be working with the company again!

Elizabeth Vierboom, Conductor

Elizabeth Vierboom studied music at the NSW Conservatorium of Music and the University of Sydney. Majoring in violin and pipe organ, she played and toured with the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Sydney Youth Orchestra before teaching high school and primary school music. During this time Elizabeth continued to develop her interest in choral music, which originated in her high school days with conductor Richard Gill, whose energy and love of singing was infectious.

 

Having accompanied and sung in choirs for many years, Elizabeth’s move to choral conducting was an obvious next step. Attending summer schools, studying with international choral conductors, listening to and watching great choirs and conductors has been inspiring for Elizabeth. She has conducted and worked with singers in schools and communities around NSW; founded the St Mary’s Cathedral Girl Choristers; been invited to guest conduct mass choirs at music festivals and worked with Sydney Children’s Choir and Gondwana Voices in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

 

Elizabeth is currently Director of Junior School Music at Barker College in Sydney and conducts their award-winning choirs from Years Three to Nine that regularly tour. She is also a passionate advocate for Australian choral music and has commissioned new works for young choirs by young and emerging Australian composers.

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
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.

 

Josie Ryan Music Craft Teacher and Sight Singing Teacher

Josie has recently returned to Australia after 13 years in Europe. Before going overseas, she was a staff member for Sydney Children’s Choir, teaching what has now become Music Craft. Returning to SCC, she brings with her new skills gained in her Postgraduate Early Music studies in the Netherlands, as well has her wide experience as a professional chorister. Josie has performed regularly with Amsterdam Baroque Choir, Collegium Vocale Gent, the Nederlandse Bachvereniging and Cappella Amsterdam, and has made frequent appearances with The Tallis Scholars. Josie is also a noted Oratorio soloist whose appearances include concerts with the renowned Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, specialising in the Cantatas and Passions of J.S. Bach. She has made several recordings for CD and DVD, and performed at all the major European early music festivals. Josie sings regularly with the Choir of St James' Church King Street, Cantillation and Pinchgut Opera.

 

 

Board of Directors

 

Rebecca Davies, Chairman
Lyn Williams OAM, Artistic Director
Claire Duffy
Nicholas James
David Longmuir
David Lumb

 

 

Management Team

Management Team
P: (02) 9251 4226

Lyn Williams Artistic Director
lyn@gondwanachoirs.com.au

Alexandra Cameron-Fraser General Manager
alexandra@gondwanachoirs.com.au
(phone extension 5)

Sydney Children's Choir Administrator
scc@gondwanachoirs.com.au
NB: Wednesday – Friday
(phone extension 1)

Rachel Whealy Gondwana National Program Manager
rachel@gondwanachoirs.com.au
(phone extension 2)

Erica Byrne Indigenous Children’s Choir Coordinator
erica@gondwanachoirs.com.au
Monday, Wednesday, Friday only
(phone extension 3) 

John Nolan Artistic Administrator
john@gondwanachoirs.com.au
(phone extension 4)

 

Jessica Chambers SCC Operations Co-ordinator
NB: Tues, Thurs, Sat only
scc@gondwanachoirs.com.au

Clare Ainsworth Philanthropy Manager
clare@gondwanachoirs.com.au

Cassandra Bayley Accounts Administrator
cassandra@gondwanachoirs.com.au
NB Monday only

Jared Furtado Administration Coordinator
jared@gondwanachoirs.com.au

Carle Deplanke SCC Saturday School Assistant