KELLY GANG SINGERS SAM & FRANK

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.

Frank: I started my training with the Choir as a member of the Probationers in the second half of 2018. I was 9.

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.

Sam: What I enjoy most about coming to Choir has got to be singing together with all these people who I’ve met and become friends with over my time in not just the Kelly Gang, but in the ABCI as a whole.

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.

Frank: Choir is a very inclusive community. There aren’t small individual friendship groups and everyone gets along well since we all have a shared interest in music and singing. The atmosphere at choir is also very different; It is more respectful and welcoming, and singers are not averse to working hard which is absolutely necessary to achieve the high standard of performance.

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.

Sam: I’m most excited to experience the culture of New Zealand with my friends in the choir, partially due to me having never visited New Zealand, but also because of how interesting it is to learn about different cultures across the world.

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.

Frank: Singing in a choir is just as much of a cooperative activity as any team sport and knowing that you are contributing and doing your bit to make the performance special is a very rewarding experience. In the same way, the choir is a close-knit group, just like a sports team and so it is nice to have a group of friends that all share similar interests and are good at similar things.

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.

Sam: Pemulwuy written by Paul Jarman is absolutely my favourite piece that I have ever sung as a member of the ABCI. This is in part due to singing it on the Brisbane tour that I attended as a part of the Kelly Gang last year. The experience of singing such a powerful piece in the Queensland Performing Arts Centre alongside over 300 other male voices also taking part in the festival was a surreal experience to say the least.

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.

Frank: I am very involved with the arts. I play three instruments (voice, cello and piano) and I perform in many different music ensembles for each instrument. I am also a keen actor and will take any opportunity to get on stage or be involved in theatre. As well as all this, I love sport as I am a keen cyclist and hockey player.

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.

Sam: I’m hoping to join The Vocal Consort after my time in the Kelly Gang, as well as possibly pursuing a career that involves singing.

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.

Frank: I have learnt that technique and caring for your voice are essential and that if you are singing well, it should feel effortless. I have also been taught how important discipline and focus is, since without this it is impossible to perform at such a high standard and convey all the meaning and detail in the music.

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.”

Sam: Make sure you work hard on all of your skills, because no skill is less important than another. Also don’t stress about the interview - Mr D isn’t that scary!