2025 MID-YEAR APPEAL

Finding your tribe and a lifelong love of music...

James and I feel so fortunate that Miro, our son, was chosen as one of the boys from his primary school to audition for the Australian Boys Choir. He had been singing since he could speak, so although it required pulling him away from an exciting school fete on the day, he never looked back after that audition. The musical education he received at the ABCI was an unexpected gift that set him well on the path to follow his musical career.

The excellent tuition provided by the ABCI’s dedicated music staff led Miro to experience fabulous musical opportunities: admission to a select entry music school, performing as a soloist boy soprano in Opera Australia’s production of Tosca, learning orchestral percussion, jazz vibraphone and piano, and two perfect scores and Premier’s Awards for performance and composition in his VCE. I’ll never forget taking him to a Victorian Orchestra rehearsal, listening to him sight sing in solfege the complex marimba part as we drove.

Choir members learn so much more than music. They learn respect for each other, working as one cohesive unit to create moving choral works, for both the audience and themselves. They learn how to lead and support each other. All these aspects have enhanced Miro’s career, working with others in the areas of composition, musical direction and arrangement, teaching and, of course, performance.

As a family, we all cherish the lasting friendships and memories we established during our ABCI journey. Volunteering allowed us to fully appreciate the richness of the choir community, and feel we were able to support a worthwhile cause for both the boys and their families, and for the wider community through music. It is a unique institute, and I am sure that any ABCI alumni would agree it has had a lasting empowering effect on their journeys, both as musicians and children growing through teenage years to adulthood.

It is a community that relies greatly on its volunteers, who work with such commitment and passion to maintain the high integrity of the choir, assisting with everything from fundraising efforts, sewing and maintaining performance garments and uniforms, to promotional and design work, and assisting on residential camps, tours and performances.

Like so many arts associations, additional funding is imperative to maintain the Choir’s exceptional standards. It enables the ABCI to purchase new music and supplies and pursue exciting performance opportunities that enrich the lives of young singers and the wider community. Please consider offering a tax-deductible donation to support the outstanding musical education and pastoral care that the choir offers young people.

We acknowledge the Australian Boys Choir as an integral part of Miro’s growth and maturing as a musician and adult. He found his tribe, his passion and a love for music that will last a lifetime.

Jo Lauritz
Former ABCI Parent

The Australian Boys Choral Institute/The Australian Boys Choir Fund is an endorsed Deductible Gift Recipient. Donations over $2 are tax deductible.