Astrid Jorgensen
MMus, Grad. Dip. Ed. (Sec.), B.A.
Astrid Jorgensen is a Brisbane-based choral conductor, composer, and presenter who is teaching the world to sing. Co-founder and director of ‘Pub Choir™’, and it’s online adaptation ‘Couch Choir’, Astrid has become one of the most recognisable faces in the world of community music making.
Armed with a quick wit and an unquenchable enthusiasm for singing, Astrid has delivered her unique music lessons to over 300,000 people worldwide since Pub Choir’s inception in March 2017. Astrid’s work has been endorsed by the likes of Mariah Carey, KISS, The Cranberries, Richard Carpenter, and she has shared stages with such music heavyweights as The Rolling Stones, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, Ben Lee, and Meg Mac.
Astrid’s ability to enchant audiences and guide untrained singers to musical greatness has been featured extensively in world media including the BBC World News, the New York Times, Australian Story, and Vogue Magazine. Additionally, under Astrid’s leadership Pub Choir has raised over $300,000 for charity since 2018, for which Astrid was a nominated for 2020 QLD Young Australian Of The Year.
Astrid is also a co-creator and co-owner of ‘Australia’s Biggest Singalong!’, a 2 hour, world-first TV broadcast in which she simultaneously taught a live audience, and viewers at home around Australia to perform in 3-part vocal harmony, live on SBS Television on June 5th, 2021.
“Watching [Astrid] work was a revelation and a joy.” – Paul Kelly
“We loved Pub Choir. Singing along to a banger of a song with a massive crowd of people will always be a life-affirming delight. But what elevated the experience was that director/choir leader/all-round legend Astrid Jorgensen was hilarious.” – The Music (Review from Splendour In The Grass)
Mary V I Harrison
Mary is a seasoned Award-winning Australian songwriter who writes for and cowrites with Local and International Recording Artists, Television Shows and Films. She has achieved numerous placements of her songs in the Young & The Restless and is the principal songwriter for the artist Lady Alderney, whose songs aim to connect people through positivity and kindness.
Classically trained from a young age, Mary grew up in a musical family listening to a tapestry of music from all eras, all genres and all countries. Born in England, raised in Australia, Mary has constantly immersed herself in musical expression since a young age and has a broad past experience as both songwriter and singer.
Looking to the future, Mary has a number of varied and exciting projects in the pipe-lines, many of which involve working and collaborating with others in a creative, compassionate and authentic way.
Kimberley Booth
Kimberley is an accomplished vocalist who has performed in a capella choirs both large and small for the last 20 years. She is the founding Choir Director of AMWChoir Online, directing rehearsals via Zoom for singer's who are unable to attend in person.
Kimberley holds a Diploma of Music majoring in Vocal studies and toured professionally with Isabella Acapella, singing in Nara, Japan. They performed daily shows in the restaurant of the famous Iron Chef, Chef Sukai, high up in the impossibly tall skyscrapers of Tokyo.
She performed with the Sydney Philharmonic Choir young adult choir Vox, the mass choir with The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and acclaimed artist Katie Noonan to sing The Lord of the Rings soundtrack in 2004.
Kimberley sings all kinds of styles from Sacred to Pop, Jazz to Classical, Japanese to Elvish and has spent the last 15 years directing a variety of children's and adult community choirs in both paid and volunteer capacities.
Kimberley is passionate about choral music and singing, especially a capella, where the harmonies feel just right. She comes from a highly musical family and can't recall a day without music in her life. Kim loves a bit of musical theatre and can't resist a good singalong in the car with her 2 kids. Her stylistic range is broad, including Japanese and Elvish!
Kimberley is the current Musical Director for the Gold Coast based women's chorus Coastal Charisma. In the last 15 years, she has directed a variety of children's and adult community choirs in both paid and volunteer capacities.
Hannah McFarlane
Hannah has been a Christmas song lover for as long as she can remember and you can hear her loudly singing Christmas tunes from July onwards.
Hannah grew up surrounded by music and learnt many musical instruments. Throughout her life, Hannah has often found herself on stage singing in musicals, choirs and solos.
At University Hannah received a Bachelor in Communication but used all her elective units to sing her heart out in music class. She has been part of the Military Wives Choir since early 2018 in Darwin and has loved every moment connecting through song with wonderful ladies all over Australia. After having her baby Violet and posting to Victoria, Hannah stepped into the role of Singing Leader for the Melbourne Choir. She has had many weeks experience conducting fun sessions over Zoom for the group as well as the rare but wonderful opportunity to host face to face sessions!
Cath Parsons OAM
L. Perf. ASMC, Dip. SCSM (ChM).
Cath loves helping others find their voice. She knows that singing improves physical, mental, and emotional health—especially when singing in a group—and has led volunteer choirs consistently since the age of twelve. Cath co-founded the AMWChoir in 2012 and is the current National Music Director.
Cath’s musical foundations began with waking to the sound of her dad’s jazz drumming beats every morning. Studying artistic direction overseas, She has directed (and written) community theatre including plays, historical reenactments, musicals (including a motley crew of Gilbert & Sullivan pirates), and dozens of Christmas programs!
Cath loves teaching and has taught piano, singing and theory for over thirty years. Her favourite moments are hearing the music theory ‘pennies’ jingle as they drop.
Cath is a shortlisted poet, a songwriter and a reluctant blogger. She is currently completing a BA in Professional Writing through Curtin University.