Office Bearers

Luke will be acting President until June 2023.  
Luke Donohoe is a creative professional working across a number of industries including SaaS, the performing arts and consulting. An artist at heart, Luke has been involved with ensembles that have sung for the Pope, performed with Adele and produced a number of sold-out concerts in his home state of WA. 

Having spent 12 years in Marketing & Business Development in the private sector, Luke moved into arts management in 2010 and has worked for WA Youth Orchestra, West Australian Opera, Perth Theatre Trust, West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Luke serves on the boards of a number of arts organisations and his work focuses on ensuring that an arts organisation has a strong foundation of support enabling the artists to create the art with ease and little distraction.

Along with Dr Robert Braham OAM, Luke founded Voyces in 2012, which in 2020, became The Choral Collective, an organisation focused on creating professional opportunities in choral music. The Choral Collective directly owns and operates Voyces, Vanguard Consort & Perth Choral Institute and is the parent company of West Australian Young Voices & Winthrop Singers.

Michael Fulcher is a conductor, organist, voice teacher. A graduate of Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), the University of Queensland, Queensland Conservatorium of Music and, Michael studied conducting in London with Sir Charles Mackerras and Sir Mark Elder in London, and David Porcelijn (ABC Young Conductor’s Mastercourse), Robert Rosen, Dr John Nickson, and John Curro in Australia. Michael studied vocal production in London over three years with Janice Chapman, one of the world’s most sought-after teachers of voice. Michael has also lived for significant periods in London, Paris, Milan, and Wellington, NZ. 

 

ANCA's National Secretary supports the operations and strategic dimensions of the Council. Judith helps with our website, email and file administration as well as the governance role in assisting the chair and president to meet our documentation responsibilities. 

A 35 year career as an IT Consultant and in the military, has provided Brian with a diversely unorthodox background to take on his current role as General Manager of Brisbane-based Peppermint Care, an in-home aged and disability care provider to clients across Queensland and regional NSW.

An accomplished vocalist and choral member, Brian started his involvement in choral performance as a founding member of the Queensland Youth Choir, studying singing under the late Henry Howell. Brian chose a military career which, whilst providing limited options for choral participation, allowed him to draw on his performance skills in varied ways.

Brian’s IT Career has seen him engaged in the Manufacturing industry across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. A trusted advisor to business on software integration, Brian has smoothed the path for many companies to reap success from innovations achieved through advanced design and outcome-based processes.

A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Brian has formalised his business experience into an internationally recognised qualification. These skills, balanced with his military studies in leadership and people management have enabled Brian to bring all the parts together to competently influence and guide a collective body toward a common goal.

Brian’s immediate future involves establishing a Not-for-Profit to assist employees who are being unfairly treated by their employer. Brian is an advocate for the disability and the aged sector, and expects to spend the remainder of his career bringing support services to this marginalised cohort, returning dignity and self-worth to those who need it most.

Marianne Rigby is a choral conductor, singing teacher and vocal coach, workshop clinician, adjudicator and board chair. Marianne currently runs the choral and vocal programme at Blackburn High School, a leading music school in Victoria, conducts and teaches voice at Korowa Anglican Girls’ School and teaches privately. Marianne has recently created Allium Ensemble, a youth community ensemble for the graduates of her programme at Blackburn High School. Marianne is passionate about developing and promoting the dual arts of choral conducting and vocal pedagogy and works tirelessly to engage, challenge and inspire the musicians and leaders of the future.

Marianne currently sits on the Boards of the Music Education Alliance Victoria (Chair) and the Victorian Music Teachers Association and has served on the Vic-Tas Chapter of ANCA for 10 years.  As a past Chapter President, Marianne is thrilled to re-join National Council in the new role of Liaison, Major Organisations.

Marianne has an Honours Degree in Music from the University of Melbourne & a Drama Degree and post-graduate Education Diploma from QUT. Marianne has led a varied career across three continents, working throughout Australia, in the UAE, France and Germany before returning to Australia in 2011. Marianne has performed as a singer/actor, chorister in leading chamber choirs and choral conductor.  Marianne is a passionate advocate for both choral music and music education and has a vision for arts organisations to work together in reframing the importance of culture in the Australian narrative.

Joshua Clifford is a singer, teacher, conductor, and lyricist based in Brisbane/Meanjin. In 2017 he graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Music (Class I Honours) with an extended major in classical voice performance. Joshua has performed in works including Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mahler’s Symphony 2, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and Mozart’s Requiem. In 2019, he was invited to work with the UQ Chorale as language coach to prepare for their performance of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. In 2019, Joshua was UQ Chorale’s language coach for Bernstein’s ‘Chichester Psalms’, in Hebrew. He has also returned as an alumnus to perform with UQ in Beethoven’s Symphony 9 (2021), and Verdi’s Requiem (2022), conducted by Dane Lam. Joshua is currently completing a Master of Music Studies in Vocal Pedagogy at the Queensland Conservatorium where in 2020 he was awarded a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence.

In 2017 Joshua entered the role of Senior Music Assistant at Voices of Birralee. From 2014 to 2021 he was a member of the Birralee Blokes conducted by Paul Holley OAM. Joshua has travelled extensively with Birralee, including to the Western Front in France three times to commemorate centenaries of the Battles of Fromelles and Pozieres (2016), Armistice Day (2018) and ANZAC Day (2019). The most recent of these included performances in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy.

A keen writer and lyricist, Joshua has collaborated with Australian composers including Paul Jarman and Joseph Twist to create lyrics for new choral works. These collaborations have resulted in premieres at QPAC (“Fields of Allonville” – Twist, “And Now The War has Ended” - Jarman), both based on the experiences of WWI Australian diggers. Another collaboration with Joe Twist led to “Flying Home” (both pieces are available for purchase from singscore.com.au). Joshua continues writing and working with composers to create new, engaging, and meaningful musical works.

Joshua has enjoyed working with Opera Queensland twice as Director’s Scribe for two productions: with Lindy Hume in her Helpmann-nominated production of Don Giovanni (2018), and Patrick Nolan’s critically acclaimed production of Tosca (2019). In 2021, Joshua was Chorusmaster for a new chamber opera in development (Spirit Orphan), composed by Corinna Bonshek and presented by the Brisbane Music Festival.

With the Queensland Music Festival, Joshua has served as an official accompanist for their choral projects: ‘Help Is On It’s Way’ in 2019, and ‘Absolutely Everybody’ in 2021. From 2019 to 2021, he was the assistant conductor & accompanist for the Brisbane strand of MEN ALOUD!, led by Dr Jonathon Welch. Passionate about community music-making, in 2022 Joshua began directing the Hillbrook Chorale, and he programmes and presents regular concerts with this ensemble, including exciting collaborations with local musicians.

Joshua’s primary job is as a Singing Teacher at Kenmore State High School, Centenary State High School, and Grace Lutheran College, where he maintains a busy schedule. Joshua is the Choral Director of Concordia (changed/changing male-voice choir), Vox Nova (Grade 7 ensemble), and Chorale (SATB premier ensemble) at Kenmore. At Grace, Joshua was director of the school’s acapella ensemble ‘Gathered Voices’ who were national finalists in the 2019 AUSACA competition in Melbourne. Two further ensembles at Centenary – an all-comers SAB ensemble and small TBB group. Joshua has also adjudicated the Clayfield College Music Festival vocal section and held workshops for school and community choirs (including Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 2022).

In 2021, Joshua became the Vice-President of the QLD/NT chapter of the Australian National Choral Association (ANCA). In 2022, he stepped into the President role of this chapter. In his spare time, Joshua loves to cook with his friends, read novels about Ancient Greece, and add to his growing collection of funky pants.
 

Dr Naomi Cooper is a freelance choral conductor. She holds a PhD in music for her thesis on directing community choirs and has presented this research nationally and internationally. She has conducted primary and secondary school choirs in public, private and diocesan Catholic schools, and currently leads ensembles at the International Grammar School Sydney and Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College. 

Some of her current community choir projects include the national Estonian-Australian choir Kooskõlas who performed at a large song festival in Estonia in 2019, ParkinSong (a choir for people with Parkinson’s disease and their carers), New Day Carers Choir (for people caring for loved ones with lived experience of mental illness), Sydney Alterna Choir and Northside Community Choir.

Naomi works as a sessional academic at Macquarie University where she teaches vocal studies. She also runs a busy studio teaching classical and contemporary guitar. Naomi also serves on the National Council for ANATS, as NSW Chapter Treasurer for ANATS and as Vice-President of Kodály NSW. 

Sharon Batterham is a choral music and vocal specialist, with several years’ experience as a soloist, chorister and conductor. She completed tertiary music studies at the University of Melbourne, with a Bachelor of Music, in composition and voice, and a Bachelor of Music Education. Sharon studied voice with Kevin Casey and Hartley Newnham, and performed regularly with the Faculty of Music Choir and Chamber Singers.

As a child Sharon sang with the Australian Children's Choir, and performed at several venues throughout Melbourne, regional Victoria and South Australia. Sharon participated in the ACC’s first international tours to Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, and worked with various conductors and musical groups during that time. Sharon has also sung with the Royal Philharmonic Choir, Faye Dumont Singers, CHIME Choir and the Australian Youth Choir.

Conducting became a particular interest when Sharon commenced tutoring the training groups of the Victorian Boys' Choir, and she continued developing this area with positions in the Australian Girls' Choir and the CHIME Choirs. Training in choral pedagogy followed, under Rodney Eichenberger, Andre de Quadros and Doreen Rao, and Sharon was selected from conductors around the world to attend the 3rd Choral Symposium held by the Toronto Children’s Chorus under Jean Ashworth-Bartle.

After a break to raise her family, Sharon is now the Music Director of Southern Voices. She is in demand as a presenter at choral workshops for all age groups, and is developing a conductor and accompanist education program within the structure of Southern Voices. Sharon is the Director of Cantabella, the senior choir of Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College; she teaches voice at Killester College and Our Lady of Sacred Heart Bentleigh, and is on the committee of the Australian National Choral Association’s Victoria/Tasmania branch.