Brisbane Birralee Voices
Encyclopedia
Voices of Birralee is a children’s community choir organizationOrganization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
that has performed at many venues around the world. Voices of Birralee is one of the only community based choirs in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and Gold Coast, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and it gives young people from the age of 5-26+ the opportunity to participate in an internationally-regarded community choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
The choir was founded in 1990, despite the numerous opportunities that were already available for young people to sing in a supportive environment. Julie Christiansen took the daring step of starting a choir and 11 years later it has grown to approximately 500 members from around Queensland. The Choirs sing a variety of Australian and International repertoire and rehearse once a week. Entry to the choirs is auditioned.
The organization has released 5 CDs: Can You Hear Me?, Within Reach!, Come To The Music, A Live Anniversary Concert (2005) And A Blokes Only Cd, Walls Come Tumblin' Down.
Participation
Voices of Birralee has 3 main conductors Paul Holley, Julie Christiansen and Petrina Lewis, also the choir's Principal Accompanist Justine Favell, Accompanist Kylie Los and Student Accompanist Sarah McDonald .Julie Christiansen is the organisation's director. She has been a conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
for over 25 years and chose to start the then "Brisbane Birralee Voices" to allow gifted singers in Southeast Queensland to perform to their full potential. The organisation contains 9 choirs. Each member is placed in a choir according to age and skill after an audition. These are: The Birralee Piccolinos, The Birralee Piccolos, The Birralee Juniors, The Birralee Singers, Birralee Seniors, The Birralee Blokes and Resonance of B.
The Birralee Blokes, directed by Paul Holley, is the choir for men or boys whose voices have changed and allows young men to continue singing through this change. The Birralee Blokes also won the ABC Choir of the Year 2006.
Performances
The choirs has performed at events such as World VisionWorld Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
International Children’s Choir Festival 2004–Korea. At this event the choir was shown on free-to-air television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
once a day for a seven day period. At this event the choir was invited, along with choirs from around the world, to represent Australia and the South Pacific
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. In 2005 the choir was invited to perform at the Pacific International Children’s Choir, or Piccfest, being the guest choir.
Some of the other venues the choir has performed at are The Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane’s Concert Series, hosting the Dresden Philharmonic Kinderchor, An Evening with President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Australian of the Year
Australian of the Year
Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
Awards, World of Children’s Choirs International Festival - Vancouver, Brisbane City Council Carols in King George Square, Brisbane Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols.
Awards
The Birralee Blokes won the ABCAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Classic FM Choir of the Year award in 2006.
Tours
The Choirs has toured to many locations including United States of America, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Birralee Seniors, with director Julie Christiansen, is the organization's most highly renowned vocal group. This choir tours annually. In 2005 they performed at Piccfest and in 2006 they participated in Songs of Sanctuary (Karl Jenkins) in Melbourne during the Commenwealth Games.