ENSEMBLES 2014

Methodist Ladies’ College Chorale

Methodist Ladies’ College, Perth, Western Australia was founded in 1907. The campus is located in a wonderful setting on Freshwater Bay in the suburb of Claremont, close to the city of Perth. The College enrolls over 1000 students from kindergarten to Year 12.

The Music Department is a vibrant and exciting one and the Chorale performs regularly at concerts and assemblies at the College and in the wider community. The Chorale consists of 60 auditioned girls, between the ages of twelve and seventeen and rehearses twice a week. It boasts a large and diverse repertoire, much of which is sung a cappella. Over many years the College has developed an outstanding reputation as a leading music school in Australia. Its choirs regularly win awards in Western Australia and it is internationally recognized for its choral program.

The Chorale has previously toured to the Llangollen International Music Festival in Wales, Vienna International Youth and Music Festival, World Choir Games in Graz and the Summa Cum Laude Festival in Vienna, achieving outstanding results that include a Gold Medal in the 2011 Games in Graz. In 2014 Methodist Ladies College is undertaking a tour that will include performances in Venice, Vienna and Riga. Its present director is Dr Robert Faulkner.

Robert Faulkner

Conductor

Robert Faulkner graduated with Honours from the Royal Academy of Music in London. A first study singer, Robert was a member of the Academy Opera Class, studied choral and orchestral conducting, and was awarded the Peter Latham Scholarship. Previously, Robert had studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with the distinguished English baritone and singing teacher, Mr Arthur Reckless.
Robert also holds a licentiate diploma in singing teaching and a postgraduate certificate in education from the University of Reading. He later completed an MA with Distinction in music psychology and a PhD in music from Sheffield University.
In a career in music education spanning almost three decades, Robert has been based in England, Iceland and Australia. He is an internationally recognized music educator and researcher with significant publications from leading publishing houses including Oxford University Press, Indiana University Press, Springer and Ashgate. He played a key role in music and arts education in Iceland, developing and writing national music curriculum and was deputy chair of the Icelandic Music Examinations Board. He lectured at the University of Akureyri, the Icelandic Academy of Arts and the University School of Education, Iceland. He moved to Australia in 2006, becoming Associate Professor in the School of Music and at the Faculty of Education, The University of Western Australia, where he continues to hold an honorary position.
He has conducted clinics and given papers and keynotes in Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, the UK, Northern Ireland, Canada and the USA, as well as in Australia.
As choral conductor and occasional soloist, Robert has performed at venues in Iceland, the UK, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Finland and Australia and has made 4 full-length CD recordings with an Icelandic male-voice choir. He has specialized in male voice-, children’s and youth choirs and has conducted music theatre and opera performances, including collaborations with The Icelandic Opera and at The University of Western Australia. Robert is currently Director of Music at Methodist Ladies' College, Claremont, Western Australia where he conducts the College Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.

Competition Program

Additional Concerts Program