Gondwana National Choirs

AJ America is a performer, conductor and creative producer. She is the Artistic Director of Luminescence Chamber Singers and Children’s Choir, Canberra’s premiere vocal ensembles, and currently serves as the Chair of the ACT Art’s Minister’s Creative Council. AJ performs regularly as a soloist and a consort singer in Sydney and Canberra, appearing with the Luminescence Chamber Singers, Cantillation, the Choir of St James’ King St, Pinchgut Opera and Vox Plexus (Melbourne). She is a regular collaborator with conductor Roland Peelman, and Ella Luhtasaari (piano). In recent years, AJ has also served as a tutor for the ANU School of Music H-Course Vocal Ensemble, Director of Choirs at Radford College, and as a guest conductor for the Sydney Children’s Choir. 

Paul Holley is a choral conductor and music educator. His personal warmth and passion for choral music have inspired many singers to discover and develop their skills as choral musicians. With over 25 years of teaching experience in schools and many years of working with instrumentalists and singers Paul knows how to connect with people of all ages and enjoys collaborating with them in the music making process. 

Presently, Paul is the Artistic Director of Voices of Birralee a community youth and children’s choir organisation based in Brisbane. He conducts two of the signature choirs the Birralee Blokes and Resonance of Birralee. Both of these ensembles have toured nationally and internationally, won several competitions, made numerous recordings and supported community events. He is also the co-conductor of the national youth choir Gondwana Chorale. In addition to these roles, Paul is a workshop presenter, choral clinician, guest conductor and mentor to younger conductors. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2016 for his services to choral music. 

Rowan is a freelance conductor, adjudicator and clinician based in New Zealand. He holds undergraduate degrees in Voice and Composition and has completed a Masters degree in Choral Conducting with First Class Honours studying with Dr Karen Grylls at Auckland University. Rowan founded the Taranaki Youth Choir and the internationally-acclaimed Choralation Choir from Westlake Girls & Boys High Schools. Under his direction, Choralation is the most successful choir in the history of the NZ Secondary School choral festival The Big Sing. In 2014, Choralation was awarded 1st Place in the Summa Cum Laude Music Festival in Vienna where they performed in the Musik Vehrein. Rowan currently holds the positions of Director of Choirs at Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland, the Music Directorship of the Auckland Youth Choir and was made an Associate Conductor for New Zealand’s professional chamber choir, an ensemble he also sings in, Voices New Zealand. He is a Choral Advisor for the NZ Choral Federation. 

Hugh Lydon is a teacher, singer and conductor who is passionate about choral music. This love was developed as a chorister in Westminster Cathedral from 1992-1997. In his final year at the Cathedral, the choir received the Gramophone Classical Music Awards for both ‘Best Choral Recording of the Year’ and ‘Record of the Year’, the only time a cathedral choir has won either of these categories.

Hugh studied Music Education at Trinity College Dublin, before moving to Perth in September 2010. He commenced work at John Septimus Roe ACS, where he was an active member of the Music Department until the end of 2018.

In 2017, Hugh founded the Perth Choral Institute; an organisation that delivers choral education to singers of all genres. PCI operated residential Summer Schools from 2017-2019 and multiple Boot Camps throughout each year, where singers could experience styles from Gospel to Christmas Carols.

In February 2019, Hugh began employment at Aquinas College, directing the inaugural Schola Cantorum. The choristers of the choir receive nine hours of music education weekly and perform throughout Perth. They have sung alongside many ensembles, including WASO for performances of Britten’s ‘War Requiem’, Mahler’s ‘Third Symphony’, and Lachlan Skipworth’s ‘The Tides of Longing.’

Hugh continues his own involvement in choral music, both as a singer and as conductor. He has performed in or alongside The Gesualdo Six, I Fagiolini, St George’s Cathedral Consort and The Giovanni Consort, and has conducted The Giovanni Consort, WASO Chorus and St George’s Cathedral Consort.

Since mid-2021, Hugh has been the Children’s Chorus Master for West Australian Opera, preparing children for performances of Pagliacci, Carmen and Tosca. He also held the position of Chorus Master for Tosca and Carmen.

Hugh was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2022 to create tertiary pathways for choral musicians in Western Australia.

Natalie Gooneratne

Choral Director, Music Teacher, Singer

Born to an interesting mix of a doctor and a singer in Sri Lanka, Natalie took to music (not medicine!) from a very early age. She is passionate about choirs and has close to 10 years’ of experience in performance and choral directing. Career highlights include: Founder and former Artistic Director of Evolution, University of the Visual and Performing Arts Choir, Sri Lanka. In 2010, Evolution won first runner up in the Sri Lanka National Choir Competition along with National television appearances and SAARC Summit performances. In 2014 under her direction Evolution was the featured choir on the Commonwealth Song Competition held in Glasgow which won first place. She was also the Choral director of the  Asian International High School Choir and the Elizebeth Moir International School Choir.

As a solo performer, Natalie has sung with the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (Young Soloist of the Year 2008). She holds a Licentiate (Hon) from the Trinity College of Music London (voice performance) and undertook further masterclass voice training in Austria and Germany.

Upon migrating to Australia in 2013 Natalie completed her Bachelor of Music Education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music (2018) where she studied singing under Dr Narelle Yeo. She also studied conducting under Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Artistic and Music Director Brett Weymark OAM and is a regular chorister in Philharmonia.

In Australia, Natalie founded and is the Artistic Director of Phoenix Voices of Youth – a multicultural choir based in South-West Sydney. The choir gave regular performances including for the then Governor of NSW His Excellency Hon David Hurley (2018),  special television appearances on SBS and ABC TV (2018 & 2019) and at the Sydney Town Hall (2019) for the Mayor of Sydney and Secretary General of Amnesty International. Last year Phoenix Voices of youth was invited to perform for the 50^th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House “On the steps performance series” and was also invited  to participate in Australia’s Got Talent at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre which received a standing ovation.

In 2021, Natalie made her debut as the choral director for the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Playing Beatie Bow, a critically acclaimed new stage adaptation by Kate Mulvany, directed by Kip Williams.

Natalie is also a school Music teacher and the choral director of Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School choir and is undertaking a Master’s degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Dr James Humberstone and Dr Narelle Yeo.

During her spare time Natalie enjoys making a good cup of masala chai with milo in it !