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The Australian choral conductor, Margaret Pride, studied choral music and conducting for five years in the USA, gaining her performance doctorate under Rodney Eichenberger at the prestigious University of Southern California. Her other mentors include Robert Shaw and Paul Salamunovich (USA), Eric Ericson and Stefan Parkman (Sweden) and Sir David Willcocks (England).
After acquiring her doctorate in choral studies and conducting, Margaret Pride was Senior Lecturer in Music, and Musical Director of Choral Studies at The University of Western Australia for 9 years, and Music Director for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus for 8 years. She has also been state and national president for the Australian National Choral Association.
Margaret Pride is currently Music Director of Collegium Choirs, giving oratorio performances with the Collegium Symphonic Chorus, cantata and chamber repertoire concerts with the Collegium Musicum Choir, and specialized performances with the professional ensemble, Collegium Vocal Consort. She is also Music Director of Perth Young Women's Choir. In addition to these performances, Margaret currently freelances in Perth, interstate and overseas both as clinician and conductor. Each year she conducts over a dozen full choral concerts including several oratorios and cantatas, traditional unaccompanied sacred music and more specialist vocal music. Her choirs have toured Europe, Japan, South East Asia and the USA as well as to other states in Australia.
Margaret Pride has been very committed to helping other choirs gain a fuller understanding of their own technical and pedagogical needs. She has also had a leading role in developing choral music for young people; she developed a large choral program while working as Music Director for Methodist Ladies’ College (1974-1985), she established Australia’s first Master’s Degree in Choral Music (Performance) at The University of Western Australia, she has adjudicated many choral festivals, and conducted both the National Youth Choir of Australia (1996) and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (1997). She currently lectures at both the University of Western Australia and the Conservatorium of Music and teaches privately. She has conducted performances and given workshops and lectures throughout Australia and in several countries overseas, as well as adjudicated major international festivals.
Margaret has been one of Australia's leaders in choral music for many years now. Her inspirational work is a result of her sensitive musicianship, an attention to detail, and a profound understanding of the choral ensemble as a vocal medium. Her imaginative programming has led to many rarely performed works being made available to Perth audiences. Awards have been numerous from leading bodies in both Australia and the USA. She has been awarded a Centenary Medal in recognition of her services to choral music in Western Australia. |
