About The Australian Voices

The mission of The Australian Voices is to commission, perform, record and promote the music of Australian composers to the highest international artistic standards.

Since 1993, The Australian Voices have championed an astonishing flourish of new Australian vocal music, having commissioned hundreds of new works. Much of this new music captures vividly the vibrant sound, colour, and energy of the Australian continent and its people. The singers, aged between 17 and 28 come from different Australian cities and commit to a rigorous professional schedule of concerts and workshops, both in Australia and throughout the world. This vocal ensemble has been recognised by many international awards and honours as one of the finest of its type in the world.

The Australian Voices have toured internationally many times, participating in major events in the U.K, the U.S.A., Bosnia, Canada, Guatemala, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia, New Zealand, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea. The Australian Voices have shared stages with some of the great musicians of the world including Jose Carreras, Bobby McFerrin and Evelyn Glennie.

Under the direction of Graeme Morton (conductor 1993-1996), Stephen Leek (conductor 1996-2009), and now Gordon Hamilton (2009-), The Australian Voices have achieved outstanding levels of national and international success, including the following distinctions

• Outstanding Contribution to Australian Music in a Regional Area, for The Australian Voices Festival held in Kenilworth, Queensland (Australian Classical Music Awards, 2008)
• Multiple Gold Medalists at the World Choir Games in China (2006)
• First Prize in the Youth Choir Category, First Prize in the Chamber Choir Category and finalists in the Choir of the World Competition at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen, Wales (2001)
• Best Performance at the Bela Bartok International Choral Competition in Hungary (1998)
• Official Australian representative at the The 4th World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney (1996)
• The prestigious Sunnie Award for Best Classical Recording, for the CD Great Southern Spirits (1994)
• Regular live broadcasts on ABC Classic FM (the national classical music station)

About Gordon Hamilton

Artistic Director and Conductor of The Australian Voices, Gordon Hamilton was born in Newcastle and, having lived and worked for five years in Germany as a conductor and composer, now resides in Brisbane.

He studied in Australia at the University of Newcastle Conservatorium from 2000–2004, majoring in composition with Nigel Butterley and piano with Carmel Lutton. At the same time, he undertook private lessons in orchestral conducting with David Banney.

While still a student, Hamilton had several successes as a pianist and conductor. In October 2003 he was invited to the City of Hakodate, Japan where he performed a solo piano program of Messiaen, Butterley and Debussy. In 2004 Hamilton conducted the premiere of the opera “The Impossible Body”, by Katrina Pring, for which he and Pring received a City of Newcastle Dramatic Award (CONDA).

From 2005 until 2009 he lived in Bremen, Germany. In January 2006, Hamilton founded Northern Spirit, a young vocal ensemble committed to contemporary choral music. Under Hamilton’s direction Northern Spirit gave over fifty concerts in Germany, Spain, France, and Iceland. The choir premiered seventeen works and took part in four international choral festivals.

In September 2009 Hamilton moved back to his homeland to take over as the new conductor and artistic director of one of Australia’s foremost youth choirs - The Australian Voices (TAV) which had been under the direction of respected Australian composer Stephen Leek for twelve years. Hamilton sang with this acclaimed ensemble from 2000 until 2004. Several of his compositions, including “Under the Shadow of Kiley’s Hill” (2000) and Priepriggie (2009), have been commissioned by TAV and performed in many different countries.

Hamilton has received several international awards for his compositions, including first prize in the Coral Gables Congregational Church Florida 2006 Composition Prize, with a work for strings (“Reggaeton”, which premiered in 2007 in Florida U.S.A.). Another of Hamilton’s string compositions (“Sale el Sol”, which had its premiere in 2008 in Raumberg, Austria) won the second prize at the International Chamber Days, Raumberg 2008 Composition Prize. Finally, Hamilton’s work for chamber orchestra “Sinfonietta-Concertante” (which was premiered by the Luxembourg Sinfonietta in 2007 in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg) received fourth prize in the Luxembourg Sinfonietta 2007 Composition Prize.

Hamilton is a represented composer at the Australian Music Centre.

Auditions

We are looking for the best choral singers in Australia for local and international performance opportunities. For more information, visit our Auditions page here.

Alumni

The Australian Voices have been supported by many amazing singers over the years giving countless hours of volunteer time to the pursuit of excellence in choral singing. See our alumni here.

Past Events

Click here for past events...