About me
I live in Canberra Australia with my husband Richard and our collection of cats. I have four adult children, Kaite, Allie, Claire and Tristan and some adorable grandkids.
I work part time in IT at a federal government department, with some lovely people who make my working day fun and interesting.
I don’t have time for other hobbies, because…well…barbershop is my life!
Musical Director – Master Director
I helped start Brindabella Chorus in January 1991, and became the permanent Musical Director in September 1992. Since that time, the chorus has grown from a fledgling group of singers who hoped to make it to the end of a song to become one of Australia’s leading women’s barbershop choruses.
At the Sweet Adeline convention in Wollongong in 2016, Brindabella Chorus scored 605 points, earning me the coveted title of Master Director. Our international ranking qualified us to attend the Harmony Classic contest at International Convention in Las Vegas Nevada in October 2017, where the top five small and mid-sized choruses in the world competed for top honours. We were thrilled and excited to be announced as the 2018 International Champion Mid-size Chorus! We were equally excited in May 2019 to qualify to return to the Harmony Classic in October 2020 in Louisville Kentucky, but of course COVID put a stop to that. We’re now heading to Louisville in November 2023 to compete in the small chorus category of the Harmony Classic.
Coaching – Regional Education Faculty and International Education Faculty
I was invited to join Australia’s Regional Education Faculty (REF) in 1999, and over the subsequent years have provided coaching, support and laughter to nearly every Sweet Adeline chorus in Australia. I love coaching choruses, quartets and individuals.
I also present classes on a range of topics, including barbershop geekiness like Tuning, and fun activities like Group Singlish.
I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed to Sweet Adeline’s International Education Faculty from 1 May 2020. This is the pinnacle of education in Sweet Adelines and has been a long time dream of mine.
Learn more on my Coaching and Education page.
Arranging and Songwriting
I’ve always been enthusiastic about arranging – creating the music that I want to sing, and music for other people as well. In recent years, my arrangements have improved in quality, and so other people’s enthusiasm for singing them has grown to match. I’ve arranged music for champion quartet Frenzy!, for choruses competing in the Harmony Classic, for my region and of course for my own chorus and quartet. I really like making contemporary music work for barbershop.
In 2015 I was fortunate to win a scholarship as a Candidate Arranger for the International Music Arrangers Program. Candidates are allocated a Mentor to help them develop their skills, and I spent three happy years working with the amazing Joey Minshall to improve my craft. I’m continuing to hone my skills!
More recently I’ve taken a foray into songwriting, and was very pleased to place second in the Sweet Adelines Bursting with Song competition in 2018. I’ve written more original music for entertainment packages since then, so if there’s a gap in your package, get in touch.
Learn more on my Arranging page.
Quartetting
Over the years, I’ve sung with a number of different quartets. These have been opportunities for personal and musical development, and I’ve made lifelong friends.
I’m currently singing bass with Skylark Quartet. We are the 2023 Australian Champion Sweet Adeline Quartet and also the highest ranked entrants in the 2023 Pac Pacific Barbershop Champions. So we’re off to Auckland in September then Louisville in November!