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.
24 August 2020
When love is involved, distance is no object. And Jem really loves the Choir. Twice a week, he catches a three hour bus from Mansfield to Melbourne to attend rehearsals, and has been doing this since 2010.
24 August 2020
Amazing journeys often have humble beginnings. “When I dug out a letter from the bottom of James’ school bag, inviting him to audition with the Australian Boys Choir, we didn’t know he could sing,” said his mum, Lynn. “But we decided it was worth a go!”
24 August 2020
Tim Matthews-Staindl is a rare, living example of virtually the full gamut of the ABCI. His career with the Institute has been long, varied and illustrious.
17 August 2020
In high school I learnt bass and taught myself guitar, playing in bands around Melbourne. I found the theory grounding from the ABC made it much easier to pick up new instruments. I studied Music at Monash Uni, but rock and pop had taken over from classical music as my passion and I spent the remainder of my teens on band tours.
17 August 2020
Mum heard me singing around the house and thought I held a tune pretty well. So she took me to an audition. I whinged at first. Thank goodness she insisted. Should have listened to Mum about how important piano lessons were, too, in hindsight...
17 August 2020
Jesse Spencer became a household name and received two Logie Award nominations playing Billy Kennedy in Neighbours. He has also worked extensively in the UK and USA in television, film and theatre.
17 August 2020
For the Blain brothers, Laurence, Christopher and Andrew, singing has been a family affair since they were training with the Australian Boys Choir in the 1980s and 1990s. All attained the level of Chorister and, in 1993, Andrew was appointed Choir Leader.
17 August 2020
Trevor Jones joined the training ranks of the Australian Boys Choir in 1985. His association with the organisation now spans close to three decades.