Choral Music from Australia
Dr. Graeme Morton
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LIVE ONLINE MASTERCLASS:
Thursday, November 7th, 7:00pm (New York Time EST)
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Australia is a diverse country with a fascinating social elements – culturally European yet located within Asia; in the southern hemisphere yet always looking north; home to one of the oldest civilizations yet functioning in ignorance of that heritage; built on the convicts that Britain rejected yet a place where humanity thrives; a small population spread over a vast land mass. These contrasts have created a fascinating choral culture the significance of which is found in the various styles that have evolved (as well as those that have not found traction).
The most interesting of these styles will be discussed in this Masterclass with particular (although brief) reference to tonal aspects of Australian choirs. A deal of this repertoire will then be explored ranging from treble and elementary school choral works through to high schools, college ensembles, church and community groups. If you already know Sarah Hopkins’ Past Life Melodies that is just a start into the fascinating diversity that is Australian Choral Music.
Meet Your Professor
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One of this Australia’s choral gurus, Dr Graeme Morton AM is both Senior Lecturer and Choral Fellow at the University of Queensland and the Director of Music at St John’s Anglican Cathedral. He is also founding Director of the Brisbane Chamber Choir with whom he maintains a vigorous performance schedule of traditional and new choral works. The University of Queensland Chamber Singers, also founded and directed by Graeme, recently recorded a CD of Renaissance canonic music which is released on the Move label, while the Brisbane Chamber Choir’s own recording of new Australian works, Mass of the Dreaming, is released on the Tall Poppies label. Always committed to championing Australian composition, recent commissions include composers Carl Crossin, Stephen Leek, Andrew Ford and Andrew Schultz. With the St John’s cathedral choir Graeme performed the Australian premiere of Joe Twist’s Winchester Canticles as well as new Evensong music by Brooke Shelley and Missa Gaudeamus omnes by Gordon Kerry.   Â
Graeme regularly prepares choirs for major Queensland Performing Arts Complex performances. Recently this has included Mozart’s Requiem for Dane Lam and the UQ School of Music, and for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra the Brisbane Chamber Choir Collective has performed Mozart’s Great Mass in c minor, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and the Christmas Oratorio of Johann Sebastian Bach. Graeme is also Chorus Master and Choral Director for the Australian War Memorial’s Flowers of War projects in Canberra. Â
 Graeme is a former director of the St Peters Chorale (one of Australia’s leading school choirs) and was founder/director of The Australian Voices. Â
Graeme’s work has been acknowledged in the awarding of a Churchill Fellowship, the Order of Australia medal, the Premier’s Cultural Award, Sounds Australian award for Best Australian Choral Performance, and in his appointment of Visiting Professor at St Olaf College in the USA.
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