Wayfarers begins in Brisbane
Thirty-five performers from Orana Canberra, Glenavon Steiner School in Sydney and Armidale Steiner School presented Songs of the Seasons at the ASME conference.
About Us
A choir built through travel, teaching and service.
Wayfarers Australia is a volunteer choir and music theatre community. Members contribute their time, energy and travel, and ticket proceeds are regularly donated to charitable causes.
Songs of Middle Earth in Tasmania
Sixty-five performers from Orana Steiner School, Mt Barker Waldorf School and Armidale Steiner School toured Tasmania with Judy Clingan's Tolkien-inspired Songs of Middle Earth.
Eastern Australia and Europe
One hundred students, teachers and parents from Steiner schools in Australia's major cities toured Eastern Australia with Rejoice in the Lamb, Kakadu and Hobbit Songs, then 76 Wayfarers took the repertoire to England, France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.
Central Australia and Europe
Performers from Eastern Australian Steiner schools toured Alice Springs and Darwin with Kakadu and Spiritus Sanctus Australis. The following year, ten young adults spent three months touring Finland, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, England and Scotland with music theatre, dance and puppetry programs.
Schools, New Zealand and NSW
Tours included Northern NSW Steiner schools, two New Zealand tours, workshops at a Steiner teachers' conference in South Australia, and NSW performances in Newcastle, Coffs Harbour and Bungalow.
A year-long Wayfarers commitment
Rehearsals began on New Year's Day, followed by an Eastern Australian tour and a long international tour through Taiwan, China, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, France, Spain, England, Orkney and India.
World-Wide Wayfarers
Australian and Taiwanese Wayfarers toured Taiwan and Japan with Marco. Further tours included Endangered!, The Singing Mermaid, The Little Prince and Heavenly Grandfather's Banquet across Australia, China, Taiwan, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, England, France and Switzerland.
Harmonia Mundi and Waldorf 100
More than 100 Wayfarers from Australia, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and England toured Hokkaido and Seoul with Harmonia Mundi. In 2019, the work was performed by 77 Wayfarers aged 12 to 77 from five countries, then toured to NSW, Victoria and South Australia for Waldorf 100 celebrations.
Performance Highlights
A history of concerts, workshops and theatrical works.
Music theatre at the centre
Wayfarers has performed Judy Clingan works including Kakadu, Spiritus Sanctus Australis, Marco, Endangered!, The Little Prince, Heavenly Grandfather's Banquet and Harmonia Mundi.
Choral classics and collaborations
The archive lists Handel's Messiah, Bach's Jesu, meine Freude, Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and Schuetz's Deutsches Magnificat, sung with Luminescence Chamber Singers.
Schools and community venues
Performances have taken place in Steiner schools, arts centres, caves, churches, galleries, conference centres and festival settings, including the Two Fires Festival and the Sing for Joy choral festival in St Petersburg.
International membership
From 1997 to 2013 the choir was predominantly Australian. Since 2014, many Taiwanese performers have joined, alongside occasional performers from Japan, Germany, Finland, the UK, the USA, India and China.
Concert Life
Performances with a purpose.
Previous concerts have ranged from early music and folk-influenced programs to large choral works and original music theatre. Wayfarers' performance style is shaped by Judy Clingan's broad musical world: choral singing, early instruments, theatre, visual design and education.
A performance tour usually carries a core of short choral pieces from Western choral traditions, then expands into larger dramatic works, children's operas, recorder ensembles, dance, puppetry and improvised local workshop outcomes.
Every concert is made possible by volunteers. Singers, directors, organisers, families and friends contribute rehearsal time, transport, hosting, front-of-house work, promotion and practical care.
The choir's public work is also outward-looking. Ticket proceeds are regularly donated to charity, keeping the act of singing connected to service beyond the performance itself.
Community Impact
Music that invites participation.
A Sophia Mundi Steiner School reflection described Wayfarers filling the school with crumhorn, recorder, drum and voice, enchanting listeners while also calling students and teachers into new heights of music making.
Inspired by the archived testimonial from Jennifer West, Principal, Sophia Mundi Steiner School
Charity Details
Registered name: Wayfarers Australia
Charity registration number / ABN: 13 361 880 392