2023 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.

Guest Conductor - Carl Crossin OAM

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Carl Crossin is a choral conductor, educator and composer. He was educated at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the University of Adelaide and Westminster Choir College, Princeton, USA. In a career spanning almost 50 years, he has taught music and conducted choirs at all levels of education, and is currently Associate Professor of Music at the University of Adelaide. Crossin was Founder, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Adelaide Chamber Singers between 1985 and 2021, and has toured with them to Britain, Europe, North America and South-East Asia, won several awards for performances and CD recordings, and represented Australia in international choral and music education symposia and festivals. Carl has also conducted the Adelaide Symphony and Festival Choruses, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Melbourne Chorale, Gondwana Chorale, the National Youth Choir of Australia, Perth’s Giovanni Consort and Canberra’s Luminescence Chamber Singers. Carl was awarded an OAM in 2007 for his services to choral music. In 2021, he was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame and awarded a Doctorate in Music by the University of Adelaide.

Guest Conductor - Chris Burcin

Chris Burcin is Co-Curricular Arts Middle Leader at St. Monica’s College, Cairns. He is an active choral conductor and performer and returns having been a guest conductor at Pemulwuy in 2017. Beyond his three school choirs, his conducting credits include QLD State Honours Ensemble Programs (SHEP) 2020-2022, four Gondwana National Choral Schools, (2014-2019), Gondwana Young Men’s Choir (Festival of Voices 2015) and the Cairns Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir with Lyn Williams AM (2013-2016). Chris was a regular guest conductor at Festival of Voices in Tasmania (2016-2018). While living in New Zealand, he was Associate Conductor of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir (2007-2008) and performed with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir (2002- 2013). In June 2021 he adjudicated the Queensland Choral Fanfare Regional Finals and in August 2022 adjudicated the choral and vocal section of the Mackay Eisteddfod. He has been invited to adjudicate the same sections in the Townsville Eisteddfod in September 2023. Chris has performed as a classical voice soloist in numerous concerts and productions, most notably ‘Carmina Burana’ at the Nelson Arts Festival (2008). He founded Musica Ficta, Nelson’s Early Music vocal ensemble, and performed with Baroque Voices, the professional Early Music ensemble based in Wellington. He has performed at the Cairns Festival, at the Centre of Contemporary Arts through Paradise Concerts and performs on accordion and piano with Tango Amor.

Guest Conductor - 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 - Peter Ingram

Peter Ingram is a noted conductor of school, university and community choirs throughout Australia. He is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Florida State University (U.S.A.) where he gained his master’s degree in choral conducting under the guidance of Rodney Eichenberger and Andre Thomas. Previously the conductor of various choirs at both the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Griffith University) and the University of Queensland, he currently conducts two choirs as part of the acclaimed community arts organization Voices of Birralee: young adult ensemble Resonance of Birralee (co-conductor) and project-based adult choir Birralee Recycled.

Peter is Head of Music at Brisbane Grammar School where he directs several choirs including the Grammarphones which, in 2018, were place second in the Youth Choir section of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod where Peter was awarded the prize for the most outstanding conductor. He is a long-serving committee member of the Australian National Choral Association (ANCA) at both state and national levels, serving as national president for three years and president of the Queensland Chapter for five years. He was chair of the organising committee for the ANCA national conference Choralfest in 2017. He is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and workshop leader at various choral events throughout the country.

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