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 ceremonies and events such as ANZAC Day, Carols by Candlelight and community festivals.
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Choir is currently on break for the Christmas period and will most likely resume on Tuesday the 6th February 2024 (TBC).
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2023 North Queensland Eisteddfod
The Townsville Choral Society Choir travelled to Cairns over the Easter weekend to defend our 2022 Aggregate and Championship titles. Our choir performed magnificently, bringing home both the Aggregate and Championship titles.
Our Musical Directors
Musical Director
Rachel Cairns
Rachel Cairns has firmly established herself in the Townsville community as a dominant force in musical theatre and choral work. She has been an active member of TCS since 1993. Rachel has performed leading roles in musicals for TCS, including Les Miserables, Chess, Annie, The King and I, All Shook Up, Mary Poppins, 9 to 5 and many more. She won a Townsville Civic Theatre Arts and Entertainment award in 2006 for her magnificent portrayal of Mama Rose in Gypsy.
Rachel studied a Bachelor of Music at UQ, and won the prestigious Margaret Nickson prize in her fourth year. She is also an Associate of Trinity College, London, graduating with Distinction and winning the prize for the highest mark in QLD. Rachel spent 2012 living abroad, studying vocal pedagogy and choral conducting in Portugal, France and the UK.
Rachel has been the rehearsal director for many Spirit of the Voice and Barrier Reef Orchestra collaborations, including Mozart’s Requiem, Bach n’ Beatles, and the sellout performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in 2011. This won Event of the Year at the subsequent Art Awards. Rachel works at the Townsville Grammar School and St Patrick's College as a Vocal and Choral Tutor.
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Rachel has won the North Queensland Eisteddfod award for most proficient conductor in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Deputy Musical Director
Claire Davies
Claire is Townsville Choral Society's Deputy Musical Director and has been a TCS committee member for the last ten years. She is also the President of the North Queensland Eisteddfod Association.
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Claire has performed in several Townsville Choral Society productions, including Legally Blonde and Wicked; however, she is most known for her outstanding performance of Maria in The Sound of Music. You may have seen Claire performing around Townsville as one third of The Bombshell Belles, as part of Townsville's Carols by Candlelight, and as a soloist in concerts with Barrier Reef Orchestra.
Over the last seven years, Claire has vocally directed Townsville Choral Society's highly successful productions of Annie, Grease, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Heathers, Mamma Mia! and The Little Mermaid.
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Away from TCS, Claire teaches at Southern Cross Catholic College and directs the school's developing vocal program, and is passionate about providing students with opportunities to showcase their musicality and performance skill.
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Claire won the North Queensland Eisteddfod's award for most proficient conductor in 2022.
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.
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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 another collaboration in 2024.
