BEHIND THE DECADES
The Australian Boys Choir was founded in October 1939 and has pursued excellence for over eight decades.
In 2014, a dedicated team of volunteers and staff worked for over a year to design an exhibition and program to commemorate the Australian Boys Choir 75th year. That team devoted hundreds of hours to the design of an exhibition design and program, celebrating the choirs' history as Australia's 'first and finest' boys' choir.
We hope you enjoy perusing these beautifully crafted stories as your journey with us behind the decades.
Geoff Kilby was the first chorister on the Australian Boys Choir ledger. Just like all of the choir’s founding members, he was a student at Toorak Central School, where the choir’s founder, VJ Kelly, was a school master. Their first rehearsal was held on Friday October 20, 1939.
Volunteers are vital to the Australian Boys Choir. Indeed in the beginning, there were no paid staff at all. When the Choir began in 1939 at the start of World War II, society was different and women were not directly involved in the Choir. But mothers were armed at home with needle and thread!
Arguably the most extensively involved family throughout the choir’s history is the Dusting family. Jonathan Dusting joined the choir as a probationer in 1987. He recalls, “I was six… I don't think I knew what a choir was!
Since its inception, wearing a uniform and performing in either uniform or robes has been standard for the Australian Boys Choir. However both street and stage wear have seen a number of incarnations over the years.
Typically, communities have a hierarchy of membership in which seniority and experience are recognised. The ABC has a very clear training system where boys progress, at their own pace, through the seven different ‘ranks’ – Probationer, Tyro, Junior Singer, Senior Singer, Chorister and, when their voice changes, the Kelly Gang and The Vocal Consort.
A list of the 10 interesting (non-musical) things that choir members have learned from their time with the ABCI.
From the very first concert, dramatic works have played an important role in the repertoire of the Australian Boys Choir. Although this has sometimes meant the boys dressed up as girls in order to fill all the roles, the chance to act as well as sing has always been popular.
You’d expect the Australian Boys Choir to sing a lot of Australian music, wouldn’t you? But that was not how it was in the beginning. At last we can confidently call ourselves the Australian Boys Choir.