Information current as at NOVEMBER 2022

Sharon Batterham, Musical Director, 0425 849 264

Choir's Email Address: southernvoicesmelbourne@gmail.com

Choir's Website: facebook.com/SouthernVoicesMelbourne/

Vision statement / Artistic goals: Southern Voices is a choir of talented, dedicated musicians whose aim is to provide beautiful music for any occasion; from opera to alternative hip hop, music theatre to contemporary, major works to choral classics, Southern Voices sings a wide range of repertoire and are in demand for concerts, collaborations and festivals

Voice type: SATB

Choir performs: Both unaccompanied & accompanied

Year Choir formed: 2008

No. of Singing Members - Currently: 30 Desired: no limit

Musical Repertoire: A range of genres, from opera to hip hop, traditional choral to pop, musical theatre to modern classics

Musical Director: Sharon Batterham

No. of years in current post: since 2008

Previous musical experience: Sharon Batterham is a choral music specialist, with over 25 years experience as a chorister, tutor and conductor; she has studied music at the University of Melbourne, and holds both a Bachelor of Music, in composition and voice, and a Bachelor of Music Education; as a chorister, Sharon sang with the Australian Children's Choir, and travelled to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom where the choir performed at the prestigious Llangollen Musical Eisteddfod; she continued singing while at University, with the Faculty of Music choir and the Chamber Singers, and enhanced her vocal studies by performing with the Royal Philharmonic Choir, Faye Dumont Singers, CHIME Choir and Australian Youth Choir; conducting became a particular interest when Sharon commenced tutoring the training groups of the Victorian Boys' Choir, and she continued developing this area with positions in the Australian Girls' Choir and the CHIME Choirs; training in choral pedagogy followed, under Rodney Eichenberger, Andre de Quadros and Doreen Rao, and Sharon was selected from conductors around the world to attend the 3rd Choral Symposium held by the Toronto Childrens' Chorus under Jean Ashworth-Bartle; after a short break to raise a family, Sharon is now the Music Director of Southern Voices; she is in demand as a presenter at choral workshops for children, teenagers and adults, and is currently developing a conductor and accompanist education program within the structure of Southern Voices; Sharon is the Director of Cantabella, the senior choir of Canterbury Girls' Secondary College; she teaches voice at Killester College and OLSH College Bentleigh, and is on the Committee of the Australian National Choral Association's Victoria-Tasmania branch

Choir's past collaborations with other musical groups: Grainger Wind Symphony, Malthouse Theatre's production of The Events, The Australian Conservatoire of Ballet, CitiOpera, Australian Discovery Orchestras, Zelman Memorial Orchestra, Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra, CHIME Choir

Audition: Yes - potential choristers are invited to attend a rehearsal, then an audition is arranged

Minimum Attendance policy - Rehearsals: Yes - 80% of weekly rehearsals and all special concert dress rehearsals, and 1 weekend camp

Minimum Attendance policy - Concerts: Yes

Membership Fees: $245

Ability to read music: Highly desirable

Sight-reading ability: Highly desirable

Av. No. of rehearsals/week: 1

Usual rehearsal night(s): Thursday

Suburb: Springvale

Rehearsal venue: Killester College

Off-street parking: Yes

Performance Apparel: As advised for each concert

Av. No. of Concert Programs/year: varies

Av. No. of Performances/year: varies

Sample of the Choir's past Concert Venues: All major performance venues in Melbourne - Hamer Hall, Melbourne Town Hall, Deakin Edge, Athenaeum Theatre, Malthouse Theatre, Hawthorn Town Hall, also Sydney Opera House

Examples of musical pieces performed: Genesis Suite (Tolga Kashif), Gloria (Vivaldi), The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky), Il Trovatore (Verdi), Cavelleria Rusticana (Mascagni), Imaginary Symphony, Symphony No 8 (Mahler), Symphony No 13 (Shostakovich - Babi Yar), Equus (Whitacre), Requiem for the Living (Forrest)

Touring: Yes - Melbourne Metro Area/Regional Victoria/Interstate/Overseas

Administration / Governance arrangements for the Choir: The Choir is owned and run by Andrew and Sharon Batterham

Own collection of music scores: Yes

Available for hire to other groups: Occasionally

Hiring fees apply: Yes