Woden Valley Youth Choir
Woden Valley Youth Choir is a community choir based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It performs not only in Canberra but also across Australia and internationally during regular tours. The name derives from the Woden Valley district of Canberra. There are six choirs, within the organisation, catering for different ages and voice ranges: These choir groups replace the former Junior Choir, Intermediate Choir and Performing choir. The Artistic Director of the choir and conductor of Australis Voices is Olivia Swift with Jade McFaul (Nova), Lucus Allerton (Centauri) and Neille Williams (Borealis) also conductors for the choir . One of the choir's biggest changes is the introduction of a group for young men, as previously, boys whose voices were transitioning from soprano and alto to tenor and bass were asked to leave the choir. Previous artistic director Kimberley Steele described the group as a "safe space to sing together" because "A lot of choirs are just treble choirs." Centauri Voices is also notable for being one of the only vocal ensembles in the ACT specifically for younger boys. History. The Woden Valley Youth Choir began in February 1969 when conductor, Don Whitbread, and his pianist wife, Barbara , soon after they moved to Canberra, issued an invitation to local children. Beginning with twenty-two singers the Choir grew to a regular membership of 70. Memorable performances have included: In 1996, Don Whitbread AOM retired as president and musical director of the choir. He was named Canberran of the Year for 1996. In 2009, the choir celebrated its 40th anniversary with a concert at Llewellyn Hall including alumni and featuring two world premiers- Paul Jarman's 'Source of Life' and 'Fortyssimo' by Michelle Leonard and Sally Whitwell. In 2010, the choir toured South Korea, hosted by the World Vision  Korean Children's Choir. At the end of 2016, Alpha Gregory stood down as Artistic Director after 20 years. Local musician and conductor, Kimberley Steele, became the choir's third Artistic Director on 1 January 2017. In August 2018, Olivia Swift became Artistic Director. In 2019 Woden Valley Youth Choir celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Commissioned pieces. The choir has had many pieces commissioned for them, some of which have become famous Australian choral works. Some of the commissioned pieces include: Discography. The Choir can be heard on: Other albums: