We welcome back to UNSW global singer and educator, Timothy Wayne-Wright who will be supporting and working with Choir Director, Sonia Maddock in the newly created position, Academy Director in Residence in 2024.

Timothy, who was previously part of the Grammy-winning British a cappella ensemble The King's Singers for a decade, shared his expertise during a weekend workshop in September 2023 at UNSW, imparting knowledge to Corde and community choir Bel A Cappella in a joint workshop weekend. We invite him to speak about what he has been up to since 2023, and the initiatives he will be taking on this year.

What have you been up to since the 2023 Choral Weekend in September, until now?

Time in between international coaching trips is largely filled with planning and meeting online with global presenters about more international coaching trips! Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of visiting Albury on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. I partnered with Catholic College Wodonga, where I taught a 3 day academy for both kids and adults from the local community. It was a huge amount of fun and I can't wait to go back in 2025! There are some more exciting trips and events in the pipeline for later this year. Notably, adjudicating at the World Choir Games in Auckland (July) and coaching in Hong Kong (July) and Dubai (November). My working week also consists of teaching at Auckland Grammar School where I'm Head of Vocal, and leading many in-person and online workshop sessions for choirs and individual singers around the world. Since visiting UNSW last year, I've also spent time piecing together my new website. I was so excited to finally launch it in December and I love that all facets of my musical life are now housed under one roof! 

Congratulations on your new role as Academy Director in Residence at UNSW. Please introduce us to the projects and initiatives that will be undertaken this year.

So far in Term 1, I've been leading regular online coaching sessions with UNSW's elite chamber choir, Corde. During these workshops, we've had the time to really delve into a large array of ensemble techniques and topics. I've loved seeing and hearing how quickly the singers are able to take on board my advice and ideas. We've been working on repertoire that Sonia has programmed for performances later on in the year, and if the first few sessions are anything to go by, the audiences are in for a real treat! In Term 2, a smaller group of singers will be chosen from Corde's line-up and this will form our brand new vocal consort. The number in this consort isn't set in stone as yet, but positions will be highly sought-after and awarded to those vocalists who have shown the most improvement and dedication to the online sessions in Term 1. Throughout Term 2, there will be online workshops with this new vocal ensemble and then in September I'll be returning to UNSW to teach both Corde and the consort as part of the second edition of The A Cappella Academy! CANNOT WAIT...

In Term 1, you worked online with Corde and in Term 2, you will be working with a smaller group. What different experiences do you anticipate the consort will receive compared to working with a larger group?

Working with a smaller group highlights similar issues as coaching larger choirs, but the level of detail in my teaching is often heightened. There really is no where to hide in a small, possibly one-to-a-part ensemble like The King's Singers. Your listening skills, blend and ability to sound like one instrument is of paramount importance when finding developing your technical building blocks as a small group. The consort will also be learning a variety of repertoire, especially written for smaller forces.

In what ways do you hope to leave a lasting impact on UNSW and our culture during your tenure in this role?

Through my various work streams at UNSW, my hope is to not only further heighten the technical prowess of the ensemble singers, but to also embrace the strong collaborative and inclusive nature of the university as a whole. Choral music is one of the most universal of musical genres, and my wish is to expose all of our amazing choral repertoire to even more students around the campus through our concert seasons and public performances.

What other projects are you working on outside of UNSW?

Aside from teaching voice to both individuals and choirs, I act as a classical music agent in the Asia-Pacific region for a number of global vocal groups. I enjoy using my contacts in the industry to help build the profile and touring diaries of these artists - it's extremely satsifying seeing a tour come together! For more info, check out this link: https://www.timwaynewright.com/agent