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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Rehearsals are held at the Townsville Choral Society Hall every Tuesday at 7 pm. No auditions are required and new members are always welcome. For more information on joining, like and follow the Townsville Choral Society on Facebook and Instagram.
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2025 North Queensland Eisteddfod
The 2025 North Queensland Eisteddfod will take place at the Townsville Civic Theatre from April 18th to 20th 2025. The Townsville Choral Society Choir will compete over Easter weekend to defend their 2023 Aggregate and Championship titles.
Our Musical Directors
© Chrissy Maguire 2024
Musical Director
Rachel Cairns
Rachel 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 many musicals for TCS, including Les Miserables, Chess, Annie, The King and I, All Shook Up, Mary Poppins, 9 to 5 and 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. Under her direction, the TCS choir has grown into one of the most formidable in Queensland. 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.
© Chrissy Maguire 2024
Deputy Musical Director
Claire Davies
Claire is Townsville Choral Society's Deputy Musical Director, Senior Vice President and has been a TCS committee member for over ten years. She is also the President of the North Queensland Eisteddfod Association.
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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.
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, and most recently, the highly acclaimed production of Billy Elliot.
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Away from TCS, Claire teaches at Southern Cross Catholic College and directs the school's developing choral 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 2025.
