Our People
It takes many hands to make a Big Sing Community event happen and our activities would not be possible without the talent and enthusiasm of our team of musical teachers and mentors and the dedication and hard work of our crew of organisers and volunteers.
Teachers and mentors
Our teachers and mentors bring a combination of musical skills and experience, Indigenous perspective and experience working with Aboriginal communities, and a passion for connecting First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians through singing.
Rachel Hore, OAM
Founder of Big Sing Community
Tutor and mentor, Big Sing in the Desert, Big Sing by the Sea, Singing on Dyarubbin Shores.
Rachel Hore OAM, creator and choral convener of Big Sing in the Desert, and founder of Big Sing Inc and Big Sing Community, Rachel has been performing and teaching acapella choral workshops throughout Australia and internationally for 30 years. Rachel is a regular tutor and mentor at sister events Singing on Deerubbin Shores and Big Sing by the Sea.
She composes, arranges and sources new music for community choirs and her arrangements are sung by choirs all over Australia.
In 2014, Rachel received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her services to the Australian choral community and is listed in the 2017 Who’s Who of Australian women.
Morris Stuart
Co-tutor, Big Sing in the Desert
Founder and musical director of the Alice Springs choir Asante Sana, Morris also directs the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir whose stories are beautifully told in the film, The Song Keepers. CAAWC have toured their music to Germany, Washington DC, The Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Recital Hall. Morris is creative director of the annual Desert Song Festival in Alice Springs and has been a regular co-tutor with Rachel Hore at Big Sing in the Desert since its inception in 2010.
Sandra Kwa
Tutor and mentor, Big Sing by the Sea
Sandra Kwa leads two community choirs in the Manning Valley region of New South Wales – Baraya Wakulda and Wingsong Choir. She also accompanies Kantabile Chamber Choir, and teaches piano and music theory to many students of all ages.
With a Licentiate of Music degree in piano, and a Bachelor of Arts (Music), Sandra is passionate about using her skills to bring people together in song and music-making. Her involvement in multiple Arts projects over the years was recognised with Wingham’s 2020 Citizen of the Year Award.
Sandra has been leading Baraya Wakulda, the Forster-based choir that grew from Big Sing by the Sea, since 2019. Since then, she has enthusiastically collaborated with Rachel Hore in the teaching and arranging of songs for each Big Sing by the Sea event, and wholeheartedly supports the vision and aims of Big Sing Community.
Aunty Rhonda Radley
Mentor, Big Sing by the Sea
Aunty Rhonda Radley is a strong Aboriginal woman with family and cultural ties to the Birrbay and Dhanggati nations. She was born on her grandfather’s traditional country, Port Macquarie, and lives between Port Macquarie and Kempsey, NSW.
In 2016, Rhonda’s community chose her as one of the Heroines of the Hastings and she was also acknowledged for her work by being a finalist in the NSW Premier’s Aboriginal Woman of the Year Award 2016. She was recently acknowledged in NSW parliamentary records for her work bringing Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women together in celebration at the Nyiirun Djiyagan Wakulda (we all sisters together as one), Women’s Festival, Port Macquarie.
Rhonda has completed a Masters in Indigenous Language Education and as a Gathang Language revival activist, she continually supports Aboriginal languages to be taught, integrated and spoken. Rhonda mentors The Morning Star Choir, Ngarrgan-Mirriiyn who attended Big Sing in the Desert, 2019 and Big Sing by the Sea 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
Aunty Jacinta Tobin
Co-tutor, Singing on Dyarubbin Shores
Aunty Jacinta Tobin is a senior Darug descendant of the Aboriginal people of the Greater Sydney Region along with English and Irish ancestry. Jacinta began her studies and community work in 1997 with a Master of Applied Science in Social Ecology. Since then she has worked with schools, universities, community and government events using her music and her community worker background to educate all on Darug language, songs and local Darug culture. Jacinta is trying to revive Sydney’s original language and in 2017 and 2018 led a mass choral performance for the Sydney Festival with 10 community choirs with her original song, Budjari Gunyalungalung Baraya-la (Let’s Sing Good Dreaming) – in Darug language. Jacinta is annual co-tutor and mentor at Singing on Deerubbin Shores, in Richmond, NSW.
Find out more about Jacinta, and listen to her music, by visiting her website.
Stacy-Jane Etal
Co-tutor, Singing on Dyarubbin Shores
Stacy-Jane Etal, a Darug Aborginal woman from Cabrogal (Liverpool), is well known for her contributions to the Hawkesbury community. An upcoming singer/songwriter, Stacy-Jane has written and translated songs in Darug language, and is co-tutor, event organiser and administrator of Singing on Dyarubbin Shores.
Suze Pratten
Co-tutor, Singing on Dyarubbin Shores
Suze is a dynamic choir director, music educator and singer/songwriter of many years experience. She teaches choirs and singing in the Sydney Hills and Hawkesbury districts as well as leading several highly successful annual singing events with other song leaders including Rachel Hore, Imogen Wolf and Brian Martin. An award-winning songwriter, accomplished singer and percussionist, Suze is also a trained TaKeTiNa teacher.
Suze is a highly skilled, enthusiastic facilitator and performer whose commitment to community building is always at the fore.
As a resident of the Hawkesbury region, she is delighted to be a co-tutor and event organiser for Singing on Dyarubbin Shores.
Crew and Volunteers
There is much to be done to make sure that every Big Sing singing camp and workshop is a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Every event has a dedicated and tireless crew of organisers and volunteers to make sure that all runs smoothly including Aboriginal and remote community coordinators, transport and logistics organisers, drivers, photographers, videographers, sound recordists and general helpers. They are an essential part of the Big Sing Community.
Big Sing Inc
Management Committee
Big Sing Community is supported by Big Sing Incorporated (ABN 17 387 893 463), a registered charity providing opportunities for singing and cultural sharing on Country.
Big Sing Incorporated is a non-government, not-for-profit association and registered charity governed by a voluntary Management Committee. The Management Committee members are nominated and voted in according to the organisation’s governance rules and policies and have extensive experience working with First Nations people and community groups. Committee members bring a wide range of musical, cultural, organisational, financial and management skills to ensure the sound governance, viability and success of the organisation.
