Bio

Singer, choir leader, community arts worker, music educator

Jeannie Marsh is a graduate of University of Melbourne Faculty of Music, and the Victorian College of the Arts (B.Mus.Ed; Diploma of Opera and Music Theatre). After completing her studies in Melbourne, she was awarded travel grants that enabled her to continue her vocal studies in Italy and England. In 2004 Jeannie received an APRA/Australian Music Centre award for her “long-term contribution to the advancement of Australian music”.

As a singer Jeannie has performed around Australia for over 25 years, with companies including Victoria State Opera (member of Young Artist program), Chamber Made Opera, Melbourne International Festival, Adelaide Festival, Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, ABC Radio, and Musica Viva, in music ranging from Mozart, Stravinsky, Sculthorpe and Handel, to cabaret, bossa nova, music-theatre, and premieres of many new Australian operas and vocal works. Highlights include: performing in new operas with the Garden Project of Royal Opera House Covent Garden; performing in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music with Melbourne Theatre Company; producing her CD Madrugada (music from Latin America and Australia) with guitarist Ken Murray; commissioning, producing and singing in the opera Love, Death, Music and Plants (Brian Lipson, Matthew Hindson, the story of botanist Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller).

Working with composers and developing new works has been a core activity in Jeannie’s career. She was a member of the artistic and musical teams for three major new music-theatre works by Irine Vela with Canto Coro choir – shows based around migration and social justice, working with Greek and Chilean communities in Melbourne. Jeannie has also directed new music-theatre events including student operas for the Opera Project at University of Melbourne (1996 – 2006), Brenton Broadstock’s Stations of the Cross, and The Seven Deadly Sins for National Music Camp.

Jeannie has been actively involved in community music as a performer, workshop-leader, teacher, music director, project manager and artistic administrator for over 25 years, including two years with Dandenong Ranges Music Council (developing large community arts projects from initial research to final production) and 11 years with Canto Coro choir. She conducts community and workplace choirs around Melbourne, including Final Sirens (2011 –), and Dutch Choir Melbourne (2016-). Jeannie was Musician in Residence for the 2014-2015 community music and health project Breast Beaters for Dandenong Ranges Music Council. This innovative project involved researching and creating an engaging “music and movement” DVD for women living with breast cancer, combining singing with Lymphoedema exercises.

She has been a teacher of secondary and tertiary music students since 1988, working at institutions such as the Victorian College of the Arts, Distance Education Centre Victoria (2002-2011), Deakin University (teaching music education students, 2012- 2014), and Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (assistant to Performing Arts Curriculum Manager 2012-2014).

As a creative artist Jeannie has been an Artist in Residence at Bundanon (Arthur Boyd’s property in NSW) in 2013, and at the Visby International Composers’ Centre (Sweden) in 2014.  In 2017 she is Artistic Director for the new “street opera” Serenading Adela.

Since 2011 Jeannie has been a member of Melbourne female vocal ensemble Icon Trio, with projects including Vox Pix (visual arts/choral music project with artist James Yuncken 2011-2012) and Scots Haiku (cross-cultural project involving Scottish poetry and music, and commissioning Melbourne composers 2013-2017).

Download complete CV: CV Jeannie Marsh 2017