Sam and Frank are members of the Kelly Gang, the Australian Boys Choral Institute outstanding ensemble of teenaged voices. They are thrilled to be performing in the next program of the ABCI’s 85th anniversary concert season in 2024. ‘To Chase the Stars’ will be performed in September and October in Melbourne, Regional Victoria and on tour throughout the North Island of New Zealand. Please see www.australianboyschoir.com.au/whats-on/concerts for more information.
Sam and Frank, when did you join the ABCI?
Sam: I joined the ABCI when I was 7 back in 2015, which was when I was in Year 2. I’m nearly 17 now and currently in Year 11.
What do you enjoy most about coming to Choir?
Frank: I really enjoy being able to come and share my love of music and singing with other people that appreciate the same things. Choir is such a welcoming place, and I feel very at home.
How is choir different from school?
Sam: The Choir provides high level musical education to its singers from a young age, one which puts them ahead of the curve and can be carried on and implemented into so many aspects of school life, whether it be a music class, a school orchestra or a scholarship audition.
What are you most looking forward to about the Choir’s upcoming tour to New Zealand?
Frank: I am really looking forward to seeing a new country and immersing myself in another culture and landscape, as I have never been overseas or out of Australia. Sharing our music with other people from different places and seeing them enjoy it as much as we do is another special part of touring that I really look forward to.
What's rewarding about singing in a choir?
Sam: It’s amazing to see how a group of seemingly random individuals who may all come from different backgrounds can transform into a cohesive unit to create such beautiful sounds.
What have been some favourite pieces you have performed with the ABCI?
Frank: I have performed countless pieces with the Institute from Probationers to Kelly Gang, and loved virtually all of them. However Bach’s Missa Brevis in A Major would have to be one of my favourites as it was an excellent feeling to be sing such a beautiful and challenging piece of music in a venue such as the Melbourne Recital Centre with a baroque orchestra.
Can you tell us a bit about your hobbies and activities outside singing?
Sam: I love playing sports, specifically Volleyball and Basketball. I play both at school at very different levels and they’re two of my favourite things to do.
What do you hope to do with your singing after you move on from the Performing Squad?
Frank: I currently take vocal lessons outside of choir and I would love to continue singing as a soloist and performing in musical theatre, as this is another passion of mine. I would also love to have the opportunity sing as a member of The Vocal Consort after I leave Kelly Gang.
What is the most important thing you’ve learnt in the ABCI about being a singer?
Sam: The ABCI has taught me that the voice is arguably the most important instrument to master. The skills used when singing can almost always translate to learning and playing other instruments. This notion is what has culminated in me developing my skills on the french horn up to a VCE standard, alongside learning and playing other instruments like the trumpet, piano and bass guitar.
Lastly, what advice do you have for boys hoping to make it to the rank of Chorister?
Frank: Take every opportunity and always take the initiative to help without waiting for instructions. Prioritise others, and remember that with hard work and effort, you can achieve anything. In the words of Thomas Edison, “genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”
Presented by Australian Boys Choral Institute
Saturday 14 September at St. Mary's Geelong | Sunday 15 September 2024 at St. Paul's Cathedral Bendigo
Tour Dates 21-28 September NZ North Island | Sunday 13 October 2024 at St. John's Camberwell
You can watch the changed voices of the ABCI in an excerpt from ABCI staffer Tim Mallis' arrangement of the traditional carol 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'. Recorded live at Melbourne Recital Centre in December 2023.