Voices of Birralee

Voices of Birralee is a Brisbane based non-profit child and youth choral organisation founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julie Christiansen OAM. What began as a children's choir now comprises six ensembles (and a seventh project choir, Birralee Recycled), which have attained a remarkable level of professionalism and are highly acclaimed by national and international audiences. The organisation caters for approximately 400 young people aged between five and 35 years and employs 12 casual staff and in excess of 25 volunteers.

Our organisation believes in providing children and young people with rewarding singing experiences both onstage and beyond the concert hall. Our activities focus on the provision of positive life experiences which allow them to move forward into adulthood as competent and confident human beings.

The name Birralee is derived from an indigenous word, Birralii, used in the language of the Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay people from North-West NSW and South-West QLD, meaning 'child/children.'

Aims

Personal & Musical Integrity
Appreciation and acceptance of diversity
Celebration of Australian composers
Strengthening of the skills, knowledge and practice of singing in Australian metropolitan and regional communities.
Showcasing Australia’s unique cultural identity internationally

Organisational Objective

The pursuit of artistic excellence in a nurturing and joyful environment.
Artistic and personal development through self-discovery and self-expression.
Programming which recognises the richness of cultural diversity and its relevance to music styles and music appreciation.
The development of responsible members of society.

In addition to attaining a high artistic standard, Voices of Birralee's mission is to prioritise performances at events which have relevance to young people. This focus on community awareness and humanitarian causes contributes to the development of responsible young members of society. The Voices of Birralee ensembles maintain a busy schedule of performances which demonstrate support of organisations such as World Vision, Anglicare, CareFlight, The Abused Child Trust, Bravehearts, and the Wesley Mission. They have recorded a total of eleven CDs in addition to three ABC Classic FM Releases.

Repertoire selections from each of the ensembles embrace diversity of culture and tradition and cover an extensive range of musical genres. In fulfilling its mandate to celebrate the composers of Australia, Birralee engages, promotes and records works by Australian artists such as Paul Jarman, Harley Mead, Sarah Hopkins, Stephen Leek, Joseph Twist, Dan Walker and Timothy Sexton.

Training Choirs

The Voices of Birralee philosophy wholeheartedly endorses the fact that every child has a song in their heart and that singing is as important and natural for a child to do as walking, talking and dancing.

Experienced tutors take care in nurturing each individual member within their ensemble. Fundamental music principles are taught within the choral context, with a strong emphasis placed on having fun in a joyful creative environment and developing healthy vocal technique, aural perception and music literacy.

Classes commence from 5 years of age, and are singers are divided into three training choir levels:

Birralee Piccolos Prep - Grade 1

Birralee Kids Grade 2 - 4

Birralee Singers Grade 5 - 7

Signature Choirs

Voices of Birralee has three signature ensembles, all of which have attained national and international acclaim.

These ensembles provide experienced singers with an opportunity to expand their musical education and to rise to the challenge of achieving high artistic standards amidst a friendly and creative environment.

Brisbane Birralee Voices Grade 7 - 12 Treble voices SSAA

Birralee Blokes Age 13 - 25 Changed voice choir TTBB

Resonance of Birralee Age 18 - 35 Mixed voice choir SATB (post-secondary school)

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