Home Life in SG Join the Australian International Girls Choir!

Join the Australian International Girls Choir!

Do you know a girl aged 5 – 12 who loves to sing or needs a confidence boost? Come along to the AIGC’s June Open Day to experience the pure joy of singing, dancing and performing.

May 14 2024

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For 40 years, the Australian Girls Choir has helped thousands of girls grow musically and socially through its inclusive and expert musical training. In 2024, the choir is ready to spread its wings globally, launching the International School of Performing Arts (ISPA) in Singapore, including the Australian International Girls Choir (AIGC). With a rich history of providing high quality music education and exceptional performance opportunities to girls in Australia, the AIGC is excited to reach more girls in Singapore; encouraging, challenging and inspiring the next generation as they learn to sing, dance and perform.

Why girls?

Forty years ago Judith Curphey OAM started Australia’s first all-girls choir, as she believed girls’ voices were just as worth of attention as boys’. Judith chose an unconventional path in a variety of ways as the vast majority of children’s choirs around the world were mixed or for boys only, and her vision for the choir was for the girls to dance as well as sing which challenged traditional choral conventions. Judith’s risk paid off and the choir has since evolved into an organisation of 6,500 choristers across Australia, proving there was in fact interest in the previously overlooked female sound. The choir’s growth both nationally, and now internationally, also demonstrates the ongoing relevancy of a single-sex education model for girls to flourish.

More than just a performing arts education

Since 1984, tens of thousands of girls have felt the profound impacts of the AGC’s performing arts education, including enhanced confidence, resilience, public speaking skills, emotional wellbeing and teamwork skills. Sharing a passion for singing and dancing with girls of a similar age also lends itself naturally to building friendships, made even more special through the shared experiences of rehearsal days and concert performances. While many parents initially enrol their daughters in the choir to improve their vocal ability, musicianship and performance skills, it is often the transferrable skills embedded into the curriculum that parents appreciate the most. Many alumni members attribute their career success to their time in the choir, including careers outside of the performing arts. After all, every successful career requires confidence, drive and strong leadership skills!

A choir built on inclusivity

Whether girls have had prior experience singing or dancing, or are completely new to the performing arts, the AIGC is built on the philosophy that “every child can learn to sing given encouragement and training”. This means that girls are not required to audition to join the choir – something unique amongst the children’s choral scene in Singapore. Regardless of what stage they are at musically, the vertical learning approach implemented at the AIGC allows all girls the opportunity to be challenged individually, while working together as a collective.

Exceptional performance opportunities

Anyone who has grown up in Australia or flown with Qantas airlines will be familiar with the iconic I Still Call Australia Home commercials, featuring Australian Girls Choir choristers singing from some of the world’s most extraordinary landmarks, including the Temple of Poseidon in Greece (above), The Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the base of the Statue of Liberty, Westminster Bridge in London and Uluru. Alongside these once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunities with Qantas, the AGC also has a proud history of performing with world famous artists, including Hugh Jackman and Kylie Minogue, and have performed for some of the world’s most influential people including Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Former US President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey (just to name a few).