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(photos: March 2020)
SHORTEST BIO (171 words) ____October 2025
Chris Burcin studied Music Education in Pittsburgh, USA, working with renowned choral conductor, Dr Brady Allred. Chris is currently Cultural Middle Leader at St. Monica’s College, Cairns, and conducts the college choirs as well as St Augustine’s College choir. He is an active choral conductor, performer and adjudicator. Chris has adjudicated for the Queensland Choral Fanfare as well as numerous Eisteddfods throughout Queensland. He has led vocal ensembles throughout Queensland as part of the QLD State Honours Ensemble Programs (SHEP) since 2020 and he has previously conducted at Gondwana National Choral Schools in Sydney. Chris has conducted choirs at the last two Pemulwuy National Male Voice Festivals in Brisbane and for several years at the Festival of Voices in Tasmania. While in New Zealand, he was an Associate Conductor of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir and performed with Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir. When not conducting or teaching, Chris can be found singing opera with CARO (Cairns and Regional Opera) Voices and occasionally playing accordion and piano in Tango Amor.
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DETAILED MUSIC/ CONDUCTOR BIO (461 words) . . . . . Oct 2022 (Please scroll down for eLearning / Flipped Learning bio)
Chris is an active choral conductor, music teacher and performer. In June 2022 he conducted a vocal ensemble at SHEP Middle School in Brisbane and in August he adjudicated the choral and vocal section of the Mackay Eisteddfod. He has been invited to adjudicate the Townsville Eisteddfod in 2023. In June 2021, Chris traveled throughout the state adjudicating the Queensland Choral Fanfare Regional Finals. 2020 saw Chris conducting at two Queensland State Honours Ensemble Programs (SHEPS) programs. He has conducted various choirs and workshops at the Festival of Voices in Tasmania since 2015 and conducted at the Pemulway National Male Voice Festival in Brisbane (July 2017).
Through Gondwana Choirs, Chris has conducted Gondwana Singers at National Choral School in Sydney (2014, 2015, 2017), Gondwana Young Men’s Choir (Festival of Voices 2015, Tasmania) as well as festivals and workshops throughout Australia, New Zealand and Samoa. Chris co-conducted the Cairns Gondwana Indigenous Children’s Choir with Lyn Williams (OAM) from 2013-2016.
As Associate Conductor of the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir (2007-2008), Chris toured throughout New Zealand and to South America. He performed with Voices New Zealand, the national chamber choir, from 2002- 2013 including regular performances at the NZ International Arts Festival and with the NZSO, the New Zealand String Quartet, the Hilliard Ensemble and tours to Europe (2005) and the World Choral Symposium in Argentina (2011). Chris features on Voices New Zealand’s CD recording, ‘Voice of the Soul’, which was nominated for Best Classical Album at the 2014 NZ Music Awards.
Chris was Director of Music & Performing Arts at Waimea College, Nelson, for 10 years. He founded the school’s chamber choir, Belle a Cappella, which was invited to The Big Sing National Finale three times earning Silver, Bronze and Adjudicator’s Awards.
Chris has performed as a classical voice soloist in numerous concerts and productions, most notably ‘Carmina Burana’ at the Nelson Arts Festival (2008). He founded Musica Ficta, Nelson’s Early Music vocal ensemble, and performed with Baroque Voices, the professional Early Music ensemble based in Wellington. Chris played trombone with the Nelson Symphony and co-founded the funk band, Trent de L’Amour and the Subcommittee. It is rumoured that he was a member of Comrade Z, Nelson’s loudest East European klezmer band (though this has never been proven).
He currently teaches Music and is eLearning and Co-Curricular Arts Middle Leader at St. Monica’s College, Cairns’ oldest school and only all-girls Catholic school. In 2018, he was named one of the top 100 Flipped Learning leaders in K-12 education worldwide. Chris conducts the college’s Senior Choir, Colla Voce, formed the school’s first Brass Ensemble and reignited the College Choir at neighbouring St. Augustine’s College. He has performed at the Cairns Festival, at the Centre of Contemporary Arts through Paradise Concerts and performs on accordion and piano with Tango Amor.
eLEARNING / FLIPPED LEARNING-CENTRED BIO (192 words). . . April 2021
Chris is the eLearning and Co-Curricular Arts Middle Leader at St. Monica’s College, an all-girls Catholic secondary school in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. In 2018, he was named one of The top 100 Flipped Learning leaders in K-12 education worldwide. He has presented at FlipCon Aus 2017 and has been invited to present at CanvasCon, Sydney, 2018 on the topic of flipping the practical subjects.
As a music teacher, conductor and performer, Chris has been privileged to work with singers and students in the USA, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. He sang with Voices New Zealand for ten years before moving to Australia where he has worked with Gondwana Choirs, conducted at various festivals and events including the Queensland State Honours Ensemble Program. In 2021 he will adjudicate the Queensland Choral Fanfare Regional Festival.
Chris accepted the eLearning position in 2015 in order to have a greater impact on whole-school pedagogical best practice and to help teachers who were struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of technological change. He is himself a life-long learner and has embraced flipped learning since attending a master class with Jon Bergmann in 2015 in Sydney.
Chris Burcin 