A choir is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which spans from the medieval era to the present, or popular music repertoire. Most choirs are led by a conductor, who leads the performances with arm, hand, and facial gestures.
Carols by Candlelight is an annual Australian Christmas tradition that was popularised in Melbourne in 1938. The tradition has since spread around the world. It involves people gathering, usually outdoors in a park, to sing carols by candlelight, featuring live performances by both national and international celebrities accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
Bennett William Macpherson is an Australian conductor who received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2002 for his services to music as a conductor and choirmaster.
Voices of Birralee is a non-profit youth choral organization, based in Brisbane, Australia, which has gained a reputation for its leading choirs, that have performed in front of audiences in both Australia and across the world.
Los Angeles Children's Chorus (LACC) is a children's choral youth organization based in Los Angeles. LACC has appeared in more than 300 performances with such organizations as the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus (MGLC) was founded in Australia in 1990 by a gay performer and activist, Lawrence Emanuel (1966). The chorus was first named 'AL sounds', due to its part affiliation with the Foundation. In April 1994, the name was changed to Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus, reflecting the chorus's organizational independence and a desire to further challenge stereotypes.
The Toronto Children's Chorus (TCC) is a children's choir based in Toronto. It was founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle. The group has close to 350 members aged 6 to 30.
The Canberra Academy of Music and Related Arts was a community organization dedicated to performance and training in music and theatre for the community of Canberra, Australia.
The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus is a large chamber choir, numbering 45 – 50 mixed voices, that presents seasons of six programs performed in St. Louis, Missouri, in venues of historic and/or architectural note. It generally performs without instrumental accompaniment and is well suited to repertoire for double choir and more. Each season includes 50 complete works or more, and generally in the original language. Since pieces are rarely repeated from season to season, the choir enjoys one of the largest repertoires for a choir of its type and size. A complete listing of works sung throughout its history is found on the Chorus website. The choir has long been identified as an advocate for contemporary music, and has championed several women composers, particularly through its Composer-in-Residence program.
The Phoenix Boys Choir is a boys' choir based in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Chor Leoni Men's Choir is a male choir based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The group was founded in 1992 by Order of Canada recipient Diane Loomer, C.M., and consists of up to 65 male singers. While primarily focused on performing classical choral repertoire, Chor Leoni sings music of all genres and time periods, and in many different languages. In recent years, the group has commissioned original choral pieces from Ēriks Ešenvalds, Rodney Sharman and others. Since 2013, the group has hosted and participated in the VanMan Choral Summit, a gathering of male choirs from around the world, featuring international choirs such as Chanticleer (ensemble) and Iceland’s Karlakórinn Heimir.
Stephen Leek is an Australian composer, conductor, educator, and publisher who specialises in choral music.
The Australian Voices are a national choir of young adult Australian singers directed by John Rotar and produced by Scott Griffin. The choir is prominent promoters and performers of Australian choral music, commissioning a number of works in their distinctive A cappella style. The choir has performed concerts throughout Australia, Europe, the United States, Central America, Canada and Asia. They have also performed for Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio live concerts, appeared at major concerts for festivals and events, and produced thirteen CDs and two kits on creative choral singing.
The Pacific International Children's Choir Festival (PICCFEST) was established in 1998 as a week-long residential event and quickly became regarded as one of the top treble choir festivals in North America. The festival's co-founder and Artistic Director: Peter Robb, a composer and arranger of choral music as well as a conductor. The other co-founders: Genevieve Robb and Rebecca Robb Hicks. The gathering took place each year in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in conjunction with the long-established Oregon Bach Festival.
Andrew Keith Wailes is an Australian conductor and music director. Winner of the Australasian International Choral Conducting Competition in Brisbane in 1999, he is the current artistic director and Chief Conductor of the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Melbourne University Choral Society, and music director and Conductor of the Box Hill Chorale. From 1999 to 2020 he served as artistic director of The Australian Children's Choir, and for a decade was Director of the Australian Catholic University Melbourne Campus Choir. He is a former president of the Australian Intervarsity Choral Societies Association, and is a former Artistic Administrator and artistic director of The Chamber Strings of Melbourne.
Leichhardt Espresso Chorus is Sydney’s contemporary choir, specialising in Australian art music for choir and orchestra. The choir has participated in the world premiere of 200 new compositions since 2002, having commissioned 170 of these. Since its inception in 1998, LEC has prospered under the leadership of Artistic Director Michelle Leonard and has redefined the capacity of community choirs. They have collaborated with many other performers, such as Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and are the artist-in-residence at the Moorambilla Festival in New South Wales. In 2008 the chorus received the "Best Community Outreach" award in the inaugural Music in Communities Awards by the Music Council of Australia.
Ben Parry is a British musician, composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer. He is the Director of London Voices and was formally Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir.
Sally Whitwell is an Australian classical music pianist, composer, arranger, conductor and teacher. She has released five solo albums all on the ABC Classics record label. The first three albums peaked in the top 5 on the ARIA Charts' Classical Albums.
Paul Jarman is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, composer and choirmaster. He is known for his work with school children, assisting them to develop their compositions.
Melodia Women's Choir NYC is a women's choir in Manhattan dedicated to exploring, creating and performing classical and contemporary music composed for women's voices. An ensemble of 30 singers, Melodia performs concerts in New York City, and supports emerging women composers through commissions and performances.
