PrintArtistic Director
Noel Ancell OAM
M.A., B.Mus. (Hons), B.Ed, F.T.C.L.
Noel Ancell is well known throughout Australia as a conductor, composer and teacher. Highly regarded as clinician and adjudicator, he has over thirty years experience in helping musicians to achieve excellence.
Recently, in addition to two seasons as Guest Conductor of NYCA (National Youth Choir of Australia) he has twice conducted the Victorian Honour Choir, and in 2004 he again conducted the combined choirs of the World Alliance Festival of Singing for men and boys in Prague.
As Artistic Director of the Australian Boys Choral Institute, Noel conducts the Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal Consort, with whom he has toured internationally ten times. His private voice studio has produced a number of successful professional singers.
Noel is an honours graduate in Music, and holds Bachelor's degrees in both Arts and Education, a Master's degree in Musicology, Fellowship of Trinity College, London, and Membership of the Australian College of Education and the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing.
He was founding conductor of the Monash University Orchestra, and has been responsible for the formation of choirs in three states. His involvement with church music began as a boy, and has continued in such posts as Organist and Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart, and Consultant to the National Liturgical Commission.
As an educator he has held positions as Director of Music at The Friends’ School, Hobart, and Lecturer in Music Education at Christ Campus of the Australian Catholic University, where he was also Head of Creative Arts. Noel was President of the Australian National Choral Association 1998-2002.
He has a strong commitment to contemporary music and, in addition to his own compositions and arrangements, has been responsible for commissioning several new works by Australian composers. His compositions have mainly addressed the needs of the performing groups with which he has worked. Noel is strongly represented in the Catholic Worship Book (Collins, 1985) and in other hymnals in Australia and the USA, and his secular compositions and arrangements are widely performed and appreciated. He has published several academic papers and is a contributor in the Oxford Companion to Australian Music.
Other members of staff
Naomi Heyden
M.A., B. Mus (Hons)
Naomi joined the staff of the Australian Boys Choir in 2001, and is currently Teacher-in-Charge of the Tyros. She studied music at Monash University and completed her teaching qualifications at Deakin University in 2002. Naomi is currently on maternity leave.
Louise Horgen
B.Mus, Grad.Dip.Ed. (Prim)
Louise first tutored with the Australian Boys Choir in 1991, attending the Summer Music School just prior to commencing a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Melbourne. The experience and insights she gained whilst tutoring our boys led to her passion for teaching and her strong commitment to Kodaly music education. Louise is a performer in her own right, specialising in early music.
Monique Plummer
B.Ed (major in Mus)
Monique Plummer teaches at Fintona Girls School in Balwyn and is responsible for Fintona’s Choral Programme and Classroom Music from kindergarten to year eight.
Monique recently relocated from Adelaide where she worked in a variety of school settings coordinating and teaching Music from K-12. Monique adheres to the Kodaly Methodology of teaching and is currently completing her Masters in Music – Aural Pedagogy. Monique and her husband are both passionate Music Educators and are active members of the Music Community pursuing a variety of extra-curricular, volunteer and performance avenues.
Nick Dinopoulos
Nick joined the ABCI team in 2007. Outside his work with the Choir and its training groups, he maintains a busy performance schedule working with various local choral societies and vocal ensembles. Nick has also enjoyed a decade of involvement in the sphere of liturgical music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This year, he joins the training studio of The Opera School Melbourne.
Madeleine Gardam
Madeleine sang with Young Voices of Melbourne for ten years before joining The Australian Chamber Choir, and taking a position as a choral scholar with the Scots Church Choir. She is currently in her third year studying Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology and Criminology, and a Diploma in Music (Practical) at the University of Melbourne.
Raphael Wong
Raphael is currently completing a Bachelor of Music at the University of Melbourne, majoring in voice, under full merit scholarship. He has been involved in the choir for many years, beginning in the probationers and reaching rank of leader. He is also a current member of The Vocal Consort. In between study and work, he performs regularly, through solo and ensemble work.