GUEST ARTIST MONIKA HARRIS

Monika Harris is a Melbourne soprano. An alumnus of the Young Voices of Melbourne, National Youth Choir of Australia and The University of Melbourne, Monika is also currently on staff at the Australian Boys Choral Institute. She is thrilled to be performing as a featured soloist with her ensemble ‘Fiore’ in the final instalment of the ABCI concert season for 2023, ‘Sing of Christmas’ on December 10 at the prestigious Melbourne Recital Centre alongside the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra. See www.australianboyschoir.com.au/whats-on/concerts for more information.

Monika, when did you join the ABCI as a staff member?
I joined the ABCI staff eight years ago in 2015 – it feels like yesterday!

What are you most looking forward to about this year's end-of-year ABCI concert?
I’m really looking forward to collaborating with our amazing Senior Singers and Choristers. I taught many of the singers at Probationers, Tyro and Junior Singer levels, so it will be such a delight to see how far they’ve come.

What can the audience expect from this performance?
The audience can expect to hear and see everyone on stage enjoying one of Bach’s most brilliant pieces, and to be welcomed in to enjoy it with us!

What do you enjoy most about singing with an orchestra?
I love the range of timbres an orchestra provides. I’m especially excited to work with the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra again, who will be playing on period instruments with such rich timbres.

Why did you choose to sing with Fiore as a founding member of the ensemble?
I had been singing professionally with Lachie, Anish, and Alex for many years before we decided to create Fiore together. Many of the ensembles we sang with were larger than four voices, and we loved the idea of singing one-per-part chamber music together. Additionally, Lachie, Anish and Alex are all ABCI alumni and I teach at ABCI, so we had very similar backgrounds in musicianship training which allowed us to tackle funky, interesting, and challenging repertoire together with the same musical language.

What’s rewarding about performing choral music?
Choral music is very collaborative and joyous – who wouldn’t love singing amazing repertoire with their friends? I personally love it!

Who are your favourite singers and why?
I love so many singers and groups! I love the Swingles, Kate Miller-Heidke, the King Singers, the Idea of North and the Gesualdo Six to name a few. There are so many reasons why I love them, but ultimately because they all love what they do and bring joy to audiences all around the world while being musically outstanding at the same time.

What have been your favourite concerts to perform in as a singer?
My favourite concerts are actually concerts while on tour. I’ve been lucky enough to have been touring since I was eleven years old and still enjoy it to this day. I love that you really get to sink your teeth into the repertoire and know it back to front while also absorbing different cultures and meeting amazing new people along the way.

What do you do when you’re not singing?
When I’m not singing, I love spending time with my family and my delightfully chubby baby nephew, Zac.

Finally, what advice would you give to boys in the Choir now – and those hoping to join?
My favourite part about choral singing is the connection you have with the musicians around you, so my advice would be to deep dive into making friends and enjoy learning, developing, and growing together.