We have a true passion for music.

Noel Ancell OAM (appointed 2014)

Artistic Director

Noel is well known throughout Australia as a conductor, composer and teacher. Highly regarded as clinician and adjudicator, he has over forty years’ experience in helping musicians to achieve excellence, conducting and teaching conducting at undergraduate and graduate level. In addition to three seasons as Guest Conductor of NYCA (National Youth Choir of Australia) he has twice conducted the Victorian Secondary Student Honour Choir, and guest-conducted the combined choirs of the World Alliance Festival of Singing for men and boys in the US and the Czech Republic. A former Artistic Director of the Australian Boys Choral Institute, Noel conducted the Australian Boys Choir, the Kelly Gang and The Vocal Consort, with whom he toured internationally eleven times. Noel is an honours graduate in Music, and holds Bachelor’s degrees in both Arts and Education, a Master’s degree in Musicology and Fellowship of Trinity College, London. He is an Honorary Life Member of the Australian National Choral Association (of which he served two terms as National President) and a member of the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing.

James Fox (appointed 2018)

Director / Treasurer

James is the Head of Finance Business Partnering at Griffith University in Brisbane. He has more than 10 years experience in business partnering, financial management, business analysis and taxation administration across the Higher Education, Government and Private sectors. James holds degrees in Business Management and Commerce from the University of Queensland and is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA). In addition to his financial career, James also has a strong background in choral music. He was a boy chorister and lay clerk at John's Cathedral Brisbane under the directorship of Dr Robert Boughen, and a member of the St. Stephen's Cathedral Schola under the directorship of Dr Ralph Morton. He is a proud former member of NYCA, having participated in five fantastic seasons across Australia. During a three-year stint in the UK, James had the pleasure of singing in the choirs of St George's Chapel Windsor Castle, Truro Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral, realising a long-held dream of experiencing the great English choral tradition.

Chloe Bedlow (appointed 2014)

Director

With more than 35 years of management, sales and education experience within healthcare and commercial sectors, Chloe has proven abilities in operational management including development of policies and procedures, legislative compliance, marketing, financial management and training within the seniors living industry. She has a particular interest in guiding best practice and quality standards by presenting training courses and seminars in Australia and internationally. Chloe is a former member of Hartwell Players and completed three years as Committee Member responsible for Front of House. Chloe also founded ‘Friends of Music’ at Wesley College Glen Waverley and held the positions of Secretary and President of the Wesley College Parents Association.

Warren Trevelyan-Jones (appointed 2019)

Director

Warren Trevelyan-Jones is regarded as one of the leading choral conductors and choir trainers in Australia. Appointed Chorus Master of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in September 2017, he is also Head of Music at St James’, King Street, Sydney, a position he has held since relocating to Australia in 2008. Under his leadership, The Choir of St James’ has gained a high profile international reputation through its regular choral services, orchestral masses, concert series and a regular programme of recording and both interstate and international touring and is well-known for its commissioning of new works. Warren has had an extensive singing career as a soloist and ensemble singer in Europe, including nine years in the Choir of Westminster Abbey, and regular work with the Gabrieli Consort, Collegium Vocale (Ghent), the Taverner Consort, The Kings Consort, Dunedin Consort, The Sixteen and the Tallis Scholars. He has appeared on over 60 CD recordings, numerous television and radio broadcasts, and in many of the worlds’ leading music festivals and concert halls.

Joanna Hughes (appointed 2019)

Director

Joanna has more than more than 30 years of experience in the Energy sector in various commercial and technical roles. She is currently the Head of Commercialisation for Gane Energy, which is commercialising a clean, renewable replacement for diesel fuel for industrial applications. Her career has provided the opportunity to live and work in many different parts of the world, including London, Caracas, Manila, The Hague, Dubai and now Melbourne. Joanna’s love of music and choral music in particular has been a constant throughout these many and varied locations. Having watched her two now adult children benefit so much from the enrichment derived through rigorous and high quality music education and performance, Joanna is delighted to be able to contribute to NYCA’s goal of expanding its impact, presence and value in the Australian choral community through her role on the Board. Joanna has an Honours degree in Physics from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a PhD from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.

Brian Yates (appointed 2022)

Director

Brian Yates has had a long interest in classical music. Starting with playing the violin in youth orchestras, he quickly learned that his passion was for choral singing and he progressed through children’s choirs to youth choirs and then adult choirs at university and beyond. He has enjoyed singing with glee clubs and gospel choirs in the USA, as well as chamber choirs and large choral groups. From 1989 to 2010 he sang with a semi-professional a cappella group of 8 people based in Hobart called the Jane Franklin Consort. This group set very high standards of musical performance and covered some challenging repertoire. The group commissioned a number of works from Australian composers and Brian was instrumental in obtaining grants from various arts funding bodies. Brian has maintained a broad interest in instrumental and vocal classical music. He still attends concerts when he can and sings occasionally with different groups in Hobart. Brian was also an academic leader for over three decades. He was Dean and Executive Dean of Science at UTAS for 2015-2021 and President of the Australian Council of Deans of Science for 2016-2020. He retired from UTAS in 2022.

Anish Nair (appointed 2022)

Manager

Anish Nair’s love for music began as a chorister with the Australian Boys Choir, whilst studying piano and later tuba/jazz trombone during high school. After his 1st of six seasons with the National Youth Choir of Australia, he further dove into the choral scene, and is currently a freelance tenor having sung regularly with numerous choirs around Melbourne and Australia, including the Australian Chamber Choir, Polyphonic Voices, and Divisi Chamber Singers. As the Principal Tenor at Scots Church Melbourne for 3 years, he was a soloist in several Bach Cantatas, and has sung large works from Bach's Passion's to Mozart's Requiem. He has also had the opportunity to work closely with artists and conductors such as David Hill, A.R. Rahman, Joe Hisaishi, and John Rutter. He is currently a founding member, manager, and performer of classical choral quartet Fiore, performs and tours regularly with the St John's Camberwell Choral Scholars under Chris Watson, and enjoys his day job at an environmental consulting firm. Having learned so much about the choral industry through his time at NYCA and the many opportunities that arose from them, Anish is proud to be able to give back and help guide new generations of NYCAns.