2026 Artistic Team
Artistic Director - Paul Holley OAM
Paul Holley is a choral conductor and educator. His personal warmth and passion for choral music have inspired many singers to discover and develop their skills and achieve personal fulfilment as choral musicians. With over 25 years of teaching experience in secondary schools and many years of working with adult community choirs, Paul knows how to connect with singers of all ages and enjoys collaborating with them in the music making process. Paul is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where he studied choral conducting with Dr John Nickson. Gondwana Chorale that in January 2019 toured the UK and the Baltics, and have previously toured the UK, USA and NZ. As a choral educator, Paul is dedicated to excellence in choral education and regularly features as guest conductor/clinician at festivals, conferences and music competitions at home and abroad. He also contributed a chapter to the book Male Voices: Stories of boys learning through music (SD Harrison, Ed, 2009, ACER). In January 2016, Paul was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to choral music.
Associate Artistic Director - Jenny Moon
Jenny Moon is a highly regarded choral conductor specialising in childrens and youth choirs. A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Jenny is a passionate educator and advocate for choral music and is a highly sought after conductor, choral workshop presenter and adjudicator. She is the Associate Artistic Director of Voices of Birralee and conducts the Brisbane Birralee Voices (BBV) and Birraleee Kids. Until the end of 2021 Jenny was Head of Choral and Vocal Studies at Hillcrest Christian College. During her tenure with both of these organisations, Jenny has led international choral tours and achieved awards at international choral competitions including 2 Gold Medals for BBV at the Internationale Concorso Chorale Competition in 2014 in addition to numerous national awards. Jenny has been guest conductor at Queensland Conservatorium Choral State Honours Programs, Gondwana National Choral School and at various choral festivals across Australia, as well as presenting regularly at workshops and professional development programs. Jenny has a passion for promoting Australian music to choirs and communities and regularly commissions choral works from Australian composers. She excels at engaging children in music across extensive styles in order to further develop their understanding of the world through the lens of text and music.
Guest Conductor Treble - Kate Albury
Kate Albury is a dynamic choral conductor with degrees in Music and a Masters in Choral Conducting. She has extensive experience working with male school choirs, developed over many years directing choral programs in boys’ schools.
Kate has conducted choirs for leading community organisations, universities, and festivals across Australia, and regularly conducts vocal ensembles for the State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP). She has also been part of the Artistic Team for the Gondwana National Choral School.
Kate is currently Head of Co‑curricular – Culture and Enrichment Programs at Brisbane Boys’ College and is in demand nationally as an adjudicator and workshop presenter.
Her greatest passion is encouraging young people to experience the joy and connection of choral music. Kate is delighted to once again conduct the Treble Stream of the Pemulwuy! National Male Voice Festival.
Guest Conductor Youth - Sam Allchurch
photo Robert Catto
Sam Allchurch enjoys working with a wide range of choral ensembles. He has been Artistic Director of the Sydney Chamber Choir since 2019. His repertoire spans the works of Bach, Handel and Mozart, to the music of contemporary Australian composers such as Paul Stanhope and Ross Edwards. Recently, he has commissioned and premiered news works by Joseph Twist, Nardi Simpson and Luke Byrne. In 2025, Sam led the Sydney Chamber Choir in its 50th anniversary season which included on a tour of Germany, performing in the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the premiere of five commissioned works and a performance of JS Bach’s Mass in b minor.
Sam Allchurch is Associate Artistic Director at Gondwana Choirs, where his work with young people is widely recognised. Sam has a longstanding relationship with Gondwana, having started his musical life as a chorister in Gondwana Voices and the Sydney Children’s Choir. He has worked with many of Gondwana Choirs’ ensembles, in concerts, collaborations with orchestras and on tour across Australia and around the world. For ten years, he directed the Matthew Doyle Choir, Gondwana’s ensemble for tenors and basses.
Sam Allchurch is also Director of Music of Christ Church St Laurence, where he conducts the historic choir which dates back to 1845. In addition to weekly choral services, he directs the choir in concert performances including Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and tours which have included residencies at Westminster Abbey and the Thomaskirche, Leipzig.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Melbourne and a Master in Music (Choral Studies) from the University of Cambridge where he was a Gates Scholar.
Guest Conductor Adult - Emma Dean
Emma Dean is an internationally acclaimed musician, performer, writer, composer, arranger, creativity coach, and self-confessed choir nerd, based in Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia.
With a passion for the magical space where music and storytelling collide, Emma has released over ten independent EPs, albums, and soundtracks. She has performed lead roles in theatre productions including Cabaret and The Tempest (Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre), and toured extensively across Australia and abroad — from Off-Broadway in New York to the Edinburgh Fringe — earning rave reviews for her original work.
In 2018, Emma was a featured soloist at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, performing John Farnham’s iconic anthem You’re The Voice, accompanied by Brisbane’s renowned Voices of Birralee choir.
Emma’s musical contributions extend into the world of television, having composed and arranged music for the Emmy Award-winning children’s series Bluey (including co-writing and performing the recent Christmas single – ‘I Don’t Have A Chimney’). She currently serves as music director for Rainbow Bop — an all-girl puppet band that brings joy to young audiences. Over the years, she has shared the stage with acclaimed artists including Macy Gray, Placebo, Jinkx Monsoon, Kate Miller-Heidke, Amanda Palmer and The Dresden Dolls, Jesca Hoop, and Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Her talent has been recognised globally, with The New York Post naming her as one of their “Ten Artists To Watch,” and she is a proud recipient of the ‘Under Our Wing’ cabaret award alongside Tim Minchin and Sammy J.
Emma’s contributions to the arts have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2023 Griffith University Outstanding Young Alumni Award (Arts, Education and Law) and a coveted spot on Queensland’s ‘40 Under 40’ list of young leaders and visionaries.
Beyond the spotlight, Emma is a sought-after choral arranger, creating music for artists such as John Farnham, Kate Ceberano, Katie Noonan, Glenn Shorrock (Little River Band), and Voices of Birralee. She is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of group singing and proudly leads Cheep Trill, a vibrant community choir she considers her extended family.
In 2025, Emma debuted her original work Community Choir: The Musical, featuring her beloved Cheep Trill choir — a cast of predominantly non-professional performers. The show, which was premiered at the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End as part of Brisbane Festival, was the fastest-selling show of the festival and received wide acclaim. Cheep Trill are crossing their fingers for a return season!
Emma lives by the sea in Sandgate with her partner and musical collaborator, Lucas Clarke, their beautiful twins Tilda (Tilly) and Otis, and their mischievous Groodle, Charlie Dickens — a sock and undie enthusiast with a heart of gold.
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