TOWNSVILLE CHORAL SOCIETY
Est. 1906
ABOUT THE CHOIR
The Townsville Choral Society Choir began in 1906 and has been the prominent choir in the Townsville region since then. Our choir sings at civic events such as ANZAC Day, sings two concert series a year, and competes at the North Queensland Eisteddfod, which is held every two years on and one year off. For all choir-related enquiries, including information for new singers, please email us here!,
Rehearsals are held at the Townsville Choral Society Hall every Tuesday at 7 pm. No auditions are required, and new members are always welcome.
We are excited to welcome new choir members for our August -November concert season now! This is the perfect opportunity to join us as we begin preparing wonderful new repertoire for an exciting season culminating in our November concert. Whether you are returning to choir or joining for the first time, we look forward to seeing you.
For more information on joining, like and follow the Townsville Choral Society on Facebook and Instagram.
Musical Director
Claire Davies is Townsville Choral Society's Musical Director and has been a TCS committee member for over ten years. She is also the President of the North Queensland Eisteddfod Association. Previous to 2026, she was TCS's Deputy Musical Director from 2013 - 2025.
A stalwart on production teams, Claire has vocally directed Townsville Choral Society's productions of Annie, Grease, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Heathers, Mamma Mia!, The Little Mermaid, 9 to 5, Billy Elliot, & Juliet and the 2026 repeat season of Mamma Mia!
Claire has performed in many Townsville Choral Society productions, including The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Legally Blonde, Wicked and The Little Mermaid. She was most recently onstage as the Queen of Diamonds in Alice by Heart. You may have seen Claire performing in Townsville's Carols by Candlelight, and as a soloist in concerts with Barrier Reef Orchestra.
Away from TCS, Claire teaches at Southern Cross Catholic College where she also directs the school's developing choral program, and is passionate about providing students with opportunities to showcase their musicality and performance skill. Claire won the North Queensland Eisteddfod's award for most proficient conductor in 2022.
Assistant Musical Director
Odette Baxter is a conductor, musical director, composer, pianist and music educator. She has more than 20 years of experience in classroom music education and has directed choirs and ensembles of all ages. She currently teaches at Pimlico State High School, where she directs the SATB choir Pimlico Voices. Odette is passionate about strong musicianship, creativity, collaboration and continual improvement.
Odette has contributed to productions for both Townsville Choral Society and North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre as a musical director and orchestral musician. Recent productions include Chess (2023), 9 to 5 (2024), Cinderella (2024) and The Rocky Horror Show (2026). She has sung with the TCS Choir on a number of occasions over the past five years and is excited to work and learn alongside Claire once again. Odette holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano, a Bachelor of Education, a Certificate of Piano Accompaniment and the Australian Kodály Certificate in Primary Music Education. She is currently completing a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy and regularly undertakes professional development in conducting, choral pedagogy and vocal education.
CHAMPIONSHIP AND AGGREGATE WINNERS
The records for the Choral Championship go back to 1982, and the Townsville Choral Society won the Championship trophy for the first time in 2017. The Aggregate trophy is the trophy for the highest marks in the set pieces - our records date back to 1969, and while we have won this trophy many times over the years, 2018 was the first time we have won both the Championship and the Aggregate in the same year. Since then, we have won the Championship and Aggregate together in 2022 and 2023.
COLLABORATIONS
In October 2013, the choir took part in the one-night-only concert Hats Off To Gilbert and Sullivan with NQOMT and Barrier Reef Orchestra. This same collaboration celebrated Townsville's 150 years by performing together in the Townsville City Council's T150 Gala Variety Concert headlining David Campbell in 2016. Since 2021 our choir has collaborated annually with the Barrier Reef Orchestra for an October concert featuring a range of repertoire, and we look forward to many more collaborations in the future
