FOUR WINDS: Kate and Geoffrey with Graeme Morton at the recent National Choral School.
LOCAL musicians Kate Burke and Geoffrey Badger have returned from the Gondwana Conducting Academy in Sydney. They were thrilled to be given the opportunity to participate in a series of two week workshops held by the National Choral School. Their aim is to bring their experience back into their local community choirs. Both Kate and Geoffrey are excited about their time at the workshops saying, the program was intense, inspiring and rewarding.
The scholarships for Kate and Geoffrey were part funded by the Four Winds Concerts’ Inspiring program, which aims to assist professional musicians in the region. The Gondwana Conducting Academy offers choral conductors the means to establish new skills or upgrade current skills working with Graeme Morton, whose experience is among the most diverse of any choral conductor in Australia. There are also forums and discussions with other conductors and choristers of the National Choral School.
Kate Burke is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and choral teacher who has spent many years performing and tutoring around Australia and internationally. Kate has won much acclaim as a member of vocal duo Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton, as well as acclaimed traditional Australian/Irish band Trouble in the Kitchen. She is also a composer of choral music and a keen facilitator of community music.
Kate said “It was a great opportunity to develop skills and bring back those skills to the Bega Valley and use within local choirs”
Geoffrey Badger has been involved in choral music all his life, singing, conducting and composing for a variety of adult and children’s choirs, having studied cello and piano and worked in the Kodaly–based Music Education Program at the Canberra School of Music. Geoffrey is the founder/director of the Bega based Heartsong sacred music choir and is currently the conductor of the Bega Chamber Orchestra and The Bega Valley Children’s Choir.
Geoffrey said, “It was amazing to hear some of the world famous choirs rehearsing during the workshops, another highlight was meeting and working alongside Graeme Morton, he is just so inspiring,” Mr Badger said.