Astrid Jorgensen

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Astrid Jorgensen is an Australian vocalist, conductor and composer. She is the founder and director of Pub Choir.

Early life[]

Jorgensen was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, and emigrated to Brisbane, Australia, in 1998. She attended Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane, graduating in 2006 as college captain.[1]

She studied a Bachelor of Arts (Music) and a Graduate Diploma of Education at the University of Queensland,[2] and a Master of Music Studies (Vocal Performance) at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.[3] While at the University of Queensland, Jorgensen trained in the Kodály method.[2]

Career[]

In 2011 Jorgensen formed the band Astrid & the Asteroids.[4] The group was awarded the Billy Thorpe Scholarship at the 2012 Queensland Music Awards,[5] and later disbanded in 2014.[4]

In 2017 Jorgensen founded Pub Choir in West End, Brisbane.[6][7] At each Pub Choir event, Jorgensen arranges a popular song and teaches it to a non-trained audience in three-part harmony, concluding with a performance which is filmed and shared on social media.[6] Pub Choir gained international attention in November 2017 when their rendition of Zombie by The Cranberries went viral online.[8]

In 2018 Jorgensen was the resident choral arranger and conductor for Neil Finn’s Out of Silence show at HOTA.[9] She arranged the songs Sisters and Ready or Not on the Spinifex Gum album Sisters with Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill from The Cat Empire. She was a featured guest in Tim Rogers' Liquid Nights in Bohemia Heights shows in 2019.[10]

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of planned Pub Choir events, Jorgensen launched "Couch Choir".[11][12] She arranged and uploaded three vocal harmonies of the song (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenters to social media, inviting anybody to learn a part, film themselves singing it, and send it back for inclusion in a final video.[12] There were over 1000 submissions from 18 different countries, and the project was featured on Australian Story.[13] The final video was also shared by Richard Carpenter.[14] Jorgensen has continued to host free "Couch Choir" events throughout the pandemic, attracting tens of thousands of participants from over 50 countries.[7]

Jorgensen has also worked as a producer for ABC Radio Brisbane,[3] and has performed as a keyboardist in Australian indie rock band The Grates.[15]

In 2021 Jorgensen was a consultant executive producer for the television special Australia's Biggest Singalong!, which was broadcast live on SBS from Sydney Town Hall.[16][17] The two-hour special was co-created by Pub Choir in collaboration with Artemis Media and SBS and was hosted by Julia Zemiro and Miranda Tapsell.[16] Throughout the interactive special, Jorgensen taught the live audience and home viewers a vocal arrangement of "Throw Your Arms Around Me" by Hunters & Collectors in real-time.[18][19]

Recognition[]

Jorgensen was awarded the 2019 Queensland Community Foundation Emerging Philanthropist of the Year as a result of her charitable work with Pub Choir.[20] She was also a 2020 Queensland Young Australian of The Year nominee.[21] In 2021 she was named one of the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians by the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit.[22]

References[]

  1. ^ Staff Writers (2006-12-30). "Mission to help out in Zambia". The Catholic Leader. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  2. ^ a b Usasz, Greta. "Pub Choir goes digital to keep community in harmony". stories.uq.edu.au. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  3. ^ a b Crossen, Louise. "Griffith alumnus goes global with Pub Choir". news.griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  4. ^ a b "TBT: The Astronomical Astrid & The Asteroids". Music Is My Muse. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  5. ^ "Billy Thorpe Scholarship". QMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  6. ^ a b McMillen, Andrew (23 March 2018). "Pub Choir: Brisbane grassroots event where everyone's urged to sing". The Australian.
  7. ^ a b "Beer, bass notes and the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb: my night at Brisbane's revitalised Pub Choir". the Guardian. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  8. ^ McMillen, Andrew (24 March 2018). "Brisbane's Pub Choir Movement Marks First Year". The Australian.
  9. ^ "A rowdy sing-a-long has never sounded so good". HOTA. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  10. ^ Moyle, Tracey (2019-08-10). "REVIEW: Tim Rogers – Liquid Nights in Bohemia Heights, Brisbane Powerhouse, 09/08/2019". Good Call Live. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
  11. ^ Leigh, Andrew (2020). Reconnected: A community builder's handbook. Australia: La Trobe University Press. pp. 133–134. ISBN 9781760642617.
  12. ^ a b Hinchliffe, Jessica (2020-03-23). "1,000 singers, 18 countries: Pub Choir's Couch Choir brings light during coronavirus crisis". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  13. ^ One Day at a Time, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2020-03-27, retrieved 2020-04-08
  14. ^ "Login | Chronicle". www.thechronicle.com.au. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  15. ^ "HRchat Interview with Astrid Jorgensen: Embracing People Where They're at is Key to Progress". The HR Gazette. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  16. ^ a b "Australia's Biggest Singalong! - Production credits". Programs. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  17. ^ "Great Australian voices join Julia Zemiro and Miranda Tapsell for 'Australia's Biggest Singalong!'". Guide. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  18. ^ McManus, Bridget (2021-05-22). "Need a hit of euphoria? Julia Zemiro has just the ticket". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  19. ^ "Time to hold a tune". The West Australian. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  20. ^ Downes, Kirsten. "QCF 2019 Philanthropist of the Year Awards". QCF. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  21. ^ "Queensland nominees announced for 60th anniversary of the Australian of the Year Awards - Australian of the Year". Australia Day Council. No. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  22. ^ "40 Under 40 Awards - 2021 Winners". www.asianaustralianleadership.com.au. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
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