Queensland Youth Music Awards

Julie Christiansen is well known for her compelling work with children's and youth choirs both in Australia and overseas, with her ensembles recognised for their joyful vitality and quality of tone. Julie founded Voices of Birralee in 1995 and has worked with young people at all levels of experience in both school and community ensembles. She is a popular guest clinician regarding vocal/choral techniques and literature for children's choirs and is regularly invited to conduct and present at choral festivals and educational workshops throughout Australia. Julie has toured extensively nationally and internationally with Brisbane Birralee Voices, with a particular highlight fulfilling a five year commitment with the Department of Veterans' Affairs to sing at World War One centenary services in France and Belgium. Julie’s commitment to her work is driven by the vital role music plays, as a channel for developing responsible and caring young people. In 2006 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday honours list.

One of Australia’s most experienced and versatile choral conductors, Emily Cox is Music Director of the acclaimed symphonic choir Brisbane Chorale, and founding Music Director of Canticum Chamber Choir, a semi-professional specialist ensemble. Through these acclaimed choirs and her work with many other ensembles, she has explored a repertoire spanning virtuoso chamber choir music and the great (and lesser known) choral symphonic works. Emily enjoys working with primary and secondary-aged children as well, inspiring them to love choral music, and she is a committed to promoting high quality education for conductors. American born, Emily is a graduate of Dartmouth College (U.S.A.) and of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. Emily’s reputation as a creative musical collaborator, conductor, chorusmaster, and educator places her in demand by diverse arts companies and festivals. Emily was recognised in the 2020 Australia Day Honours as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant services to the performing arts through choral music”.

Alisa has a Bachelor of Music, a Postgraduate Diploma of Education and a Master of Music in Conducting graduating with academic Distinction.Alisa has been an instrumental music teacher and ensemble director with Education Queensland for the past 25 years and is currently the Head of Department for Ensembles and Conducting for the Queensland North Coast Region. She has also held the position of sessional lecturer of orchestral conducting at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.

As a conductor, Alisa has travelled throughout Australia, Asia, United Kingdom and the USA. She has had the privilege of working with many esteemed ensembles including the Royal Northern College of Music (UK) Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. She has been conductor in residence at the Qld State Honours Ensemble program on several occasions and guest conductor for the MOST ensemble program.She and is currently the Musical Director of Queensland Wind and Brass. Alisa has presented conducting workshops, professional development sessions and key note addresses and is cofounder of the Queensland Conducting Academy and delivers conducting lessons and ensemble methodology training for many teachers across the state.

Rachel is a current Doctor of Musical Arts candidate. Her research explores the role of the conductor in championing the wind band works of Australian female composers, and she is an active advocate for encouraging diversity and fair gender representation through the selection of repertoire.

Graduating from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music with performance studies in Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass, Mark Sullivan has forged a career as a prominent String Educator and Orchestral Conductor. He has been a senior teacher in over thirty schools in Australia and the United States with his String and Symphony Orchestras winning numerous awards at festivals and competitions. Mark is recognised as one of the leading pedagogues in Queensland, lecturing at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, the University of Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. Throughout his career Mark has served as an adjudicator at interstate festivals and has maintained an active interest in the wider music community, founding the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra, and more recently conducting AHEP and SHEP orchestras, the MOST String Orchestra, QSO school outreach programs, and guest conducting at regional camps and string clinics. Mark's ongoing passion is mentoring staff and providing professional development sessions to encourage and support the development of quality music programs throughout the country.