Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices) ~ Australia

From its inception in 1998, Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices) has lead a dynamic and fulfilling musical odyssey, educating, inspiring and challenging young choristers to sing their hearts out and experience music-making at its finest. 

Founded by Artistic Director Deborah Munro and Margaret Lange, the Choir has gone from strength to strength, developing and evolving whilst still maintaining the strong and vibrant ethos of learning, caring and sharing a love of music and singing.

The world-class excellence of Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices) has been witnessed in performances at many prestigious events and venues both overseas and in Australia.  The Choir have undertaken six international tours since 1994, performing throughout Europe, North America and Asia.  Highlights have included Recitals in Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Hiroshima, Japan, Cologne Cathedral, the Prince of Meiningen’s castle, the 800th Anniversary of the City of Dresden, Hong Kong and Disneyland.  The choristers have also represented Australia in many international festivals, most notably the World Festival of Children’s Choirs in China and Hong Kong and the European Youth Choral Festival in Neerpelt, Belgium.  It is in Belgium where they have twice received Festival honours, 1st Prize cum laude (2008) and 1st Prize summa cum laude (1996).

Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices) have also been privileged on numerous occasions to be guest artists of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, with whom they have recorded a CD, they have presented concerts as part of Adelaide Festival Theatre’s Morning Melodies and Art Space programs and many concerts with the Band of the South Australia Police.   In 1996 the Choir was awarded the Key to the City of Adelaide in recognition of their international standard and success.

The unique fellowship of the Choir Community has meant that choristers and their families can get to know each other in a variety of social functions.  It’s exciting to hear how young choristers grow in skill and maturity as they progress through the choirs and hear how they develop not only in sound but in confidence and teamwork.   These bonds are strong and the music and friendships they make in their years in YAV last a lifetime.

The Senior Vocal Ensemble, conducted by YAV Artistic Director Christie Anderson is the ‘youngest’ group in the YAV family, having been in existence for only 5 years.  SVE is a chamber group of experienced choristers who perform challenging music from Australian works, to contemporary classical to pop, folk and early music. 

Christie Anderson – Artistic Director, Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices)

Christie Anderson is a singer and conductor and has worked with choirs and choral music for the past 12 years.  In 2009 she began as Artistic Director of Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices)s, one of Australia’s premier choral schools and she is the tutor of YAV’s Second Concert Choir and the Senior Vocal Ensemble.

Christie is a founding member of the award-winning EVE vocal trio, tutor and conductor at Adelaide University's Elder Conservatorium of Music and is Musical Director of the Corinthian Singers of Adelaide. Christie has been a core member of Adelaide Chamber Singers for many years and was at Kathaumixw in 2006 when they won the coveted title of “Choir of the World at Kathaumixw”.

Christie also has a keen interest in contemporary opera and with the Adelaide Vocal Project has performed the Philip Glass Trilogy, John Adam’s Death of Klinghoffer and was a soloist in his Grand Pianola Music.  She has sung in many festivals in Australia and around the world, including the UK, USA, Norway, Canada, Malaysia and Japan. 

Christie began singing in choirs at an early age and it was through her work with ACS, and in her position as Artistic Director of the early music festival Early Music in Late May in Norwich, England from 1997 - 2000, that she developed a love for early vocal chamber music and ensemble singing with choirs large to small.  

Recent highlights have included performing as one of eight female chorus members in the Adelaide Festival Opera Ainadamar, (the fountain of tears), directed by Graeme Murphy and conducting both the West Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras as part of Symphony Australia’s Young Conductor’s program.   Christie is also completing her Master in Music – Conducting.

Thanks to Arts SA and Aurora (Young Adelaide Voices), Christie will be attending, as a conductor, Europa Cantat Utrecht – an international choral festival in July 2009, focusing on the training of young voices in choirs.