VOCAL CONSORT SINGER CAMERON

Cameron Peacock is an alumnus of the Australian Boys Choir and is currently a member of The Vocal Consort. Cam will perform with Consort in the second instalment of the 2023 ABCI Concert Season ‘Songs of the Sea’ on May 20 & 21 in both Ballarat and Melbourne. This performance will also feature outstanding ABCI Old Boy Raphael Wong, fresh from his debut last year at the Sydney Opera house as Phantom in Phantom of the Opera.

Cam, when did you join the ABCI?
I joined the probationer group in the first school term of 2007. I must have been 9 years old back then and at the outset I developed a very high pitched 1st Soprano voice.

What are you most looking forward to about 'Songs of the Sea’ in Ballarat and Melbourne?
I’m most looking forward to the chance to perform and work with the Boys Choir again, as each member is such a talented and promising young musician. I’m sure that when we come together we’ll put on a brilliant performance; I’m a strong believer that our best rendition always comes during the concert.

What can the audience expect from this performance?
I’m sure there will be something for everyone and anyone could enjoy the high level of skill and talent that will be on show from both choirs. The program will bring together music with a common theme but a range of different sounds and atmospheres, but most importantly lots of gloriously low bass notes!

What are the key things you learned when you joined the ABCI?
The ABCI has a way of creating musicians that is so rarely found nowadays and the talent it cultivates are enjoyable and useful all throughout life. My time with the ABCI also helped me learn dedication and persistence. Like many things in life, becoming a musician takes time, practice and effort and I think seeing the fruits of my labour in choir early on set me up to achieve other things later on.

Why did you choose to join The Vocal Consort and why do you continue to sing with them?
By the time I left school singing was a part of who I was, and I had made so many strong friendships within the choir that it felt natural to take the next step into TVC. I keep coming back each year for the same reasons: I still enjoy singing, performing to a very high standard and spending time with old friends and mates.

What’s rewarding about singing choral music?
I believe it’s the most versatile and accessible form of music that you can learn. Everyone can sing at any time and there’s an appropriate song for every occasion. Coming together to sing in a choir just gives you even more opportunity to enjoy the music, make friends and work towards creating something beautiful together.

What have been your favourite concerts or pieces to perform?
I enjoy the more modern half of our repertoire especially, so I’ve really valued the direction that we’ve been heading in over the past few years. I think our most recent concert ‘Songs for the Open Road’ at Deakin Edge was one of our best and most enjoyable performances yet, but I’m sure that ‘Songs of the Sea’ will give it a run for its money.

What are The Vocal Consort like behind-the-scenes? Fun to be around or very serious?
It's quite a young group at the moment with lots of fresh faces. Luckily we all share the same passion for music so everyone mixes in really well with each other and we manage to have a spot of fun here and there whenever possible.

What do you do when you’re not singing?
I now work for Metro Trains in Track Maintenance where I manage the Track Inspections program for the North-West section of the network. It keeps me busy, but choir is still something I try my best to make time for each week as I know that it plays a vital part in helping me relax and de-stress.

Finally, what advice would you give to boys in the Choir now – and those hoping to join?
Any boys who are curious should definitely try their best to get involved and see what it’s all about. Once you’re in I’m sure you’ll be hooked and you absolutely need to make the most of every second of it. It’s a fantastic institution with amazing members, so I’m certain you’ll come out the other side with some great experiences and some even better friends.

Click below to watch members of The Vocal Consort in an excerpt from R.W. Atkinson's The Mulligan Musketeers from the first concert of the ABCI's 2023 Concert Season.